


Contrary

by FluffyPieCake



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-07-29 18:19:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7694599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyPieCake/pseuds/FluffyPieCake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I can't give you the life that you have … I can't give you all the things that he can"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Trying on a normal AU Zarry for once, where the events actually happen at the present world. This will be added on my 'Work in process' list along with the others ＿φ(°-°=)  
> Hope u like it <3

Being below the middle class isn’t something bad. It's a fact that isn't about to change soon, so he deals with it.

Working in a small company with a reasonable pay that covers his daily needs is perfectly fine. Living in a small flat _alone_ is also fine. He had a couple relationships before but they never lasted. It's not that he _can't_ handle a partner, he can. But it's either because he doesn't 'spoil' his partner enough which was with the _needy_ ones, because he considers himself a romantic person as some have told him so, or that they simply found someone else who can provide them with 'more' and that was the 'greedy' type.

Or those who actually _stayed_ but not for long due to life problems, or other issues that didn't particularly have anything wrong with the relationship itself. But overall, he's still alone, and his life isn't something to brag about, but he's happy. He's got friends and family to support him, and he can depend on himself, so all is good.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Money doesn't buy anything. And surely it doesn't buy _love_. Being in the high-class society isn’t as good as everybody thinks.

Yes, you get to fill your needs with lots of pleasurable luxuries. But the emotional hole in your heart would always be _present_. And to fill that hole, you start searching on the other side, taking all the _wrong_ turns.

Wrong means trouble, and when you get in trouble you start looking for a way out. But if looking for a way out would lead for things to _break_ that you can’t mend … It gets worse.

 


	2. Ch.01

_Alone in the dark, hole in my heart, turn on the radio  
And the words fall out, but they got no place to go_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Riding the subway is probably taking the same time that he'd spend in traffic anyway so he doesn't really care. He sold his car to pay for his mother's treatment and he doesn't regret it. It's not like it was a fancy car anyway, but it'd get him to any place that he'd like to go to and he didn't ask for more.

Now though, he'd occasionally get rides from his friends or simply take the bus or subway, whichever suits best.

His phone starts ringing and he picks it up sliding off the subway and into the street.

"Harry!" he puts the phone away from his ears. His friend is always so loud in such an early morning and he isn't up to it.

He slowly brings the phone back to his ears, "Morning to you too, Lou"

"Is that how you treat me nowadays? I'm _very_ disappointed. I was about to tell you some good news but you already ruined my day, Styles! Guess I have to tell you the bad news first!"

"I'm friends with you, what's worse than _that_ , that I can hear?"

"Ha ha. You're lucky you even have me as one" True though, he wouldn't argue. "Anyway … Guess what?"

"Your work place got on fire so you don't have to go today, that's why you're annoying me right now?"

"No … I wish though, that place was horrible …"

" _Was_?"

"Yeah! I got fired!" Harry holds his laughter and bites on his lips. Louis is always the type to cause trouble, harmless ones though, but he does get in trouble and the fact that his boss couldn't take it anymore is fair enough considering he has to put up with _The Tomlinson_.

"Sorry" he still says it though, because Louis is a good friend, and being without a job _sucks_. He doesn't own that much savings considering that he comes from the same class as Harry.

"Nah … I'm going to look for a new one soon, hopefully a place that would _appreciate_ me" Harry chuckles, "But yeah, that's not why I'm calling you"

"Is it going to take a lot of time? I'm at the company now, Lou" he says opening the door and greeting the receptionist with a smile getting into the elevator.

"Probably"

"Then we'll talk later, I have the rest of the day free so just pick up whatever place you'd like to meet"

"Okay, okay. Talk to you later"

"Bye" he hangs up and heads to his desk. "Lots of paper work to do today" He sighs.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You what?!"

Louis grinned, "Everything is set up! My friend works there and gave me a special discount"

"She's going to hug you till she squeezes you" Harry grins as well.

"Anything for my friends!"

"So, what about you? What about your job?"

"I applied for some fancy restaurant on the other side of the city, you know, where the upper-class bitches are"

"You would survive _there_?"

"Gotta do what you gotta do to earn your living" Louis shrugs.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"I need to buy this"

"You said that nearly at everything here" Harry whispered.

"Yeah, well. Obviously it's too expensive, I mean who cares about all of those programs that it has? It's just a washing machine!"

"Apparently you do" Harry mumbled.

"Shut up. Let's head to the other section" Harry is being grabbed by the arm but with a smile on his face.

His sister was getting married soon, and they needed to buy the necessities. They managed to buy a house, her husband owns a car too, everything is almost settled. Louis got them a discount for the honeymoon hotel they're staying at, and Harry was giving up his savings as well for them. But she was his sister, he'd do anything for her.

His sister starts to look around and Harry notices a man struggling with one of the washers, apparently trying to get it to shut down or something. There is no one around to help the poor guy so Harry sighs and walks towards the man. He simply pushes a few buttons then unplugs it.

"I don't think anyone noticed, so you're good" Harry smiles.

The man releases a sigh of relief, "Thanks" he smiles back at Harry. He's wearing a hoodie that's covering his hair, but some manages to fall on the side of his face. The sleeves go past his knuckles but the size isn't too big on him. He's wearing glasses but Harry could make his big hazel eyes behind them. "My friend left me here to do something and I honestly have no idea how to operate this thing … I don't have it in my house so …" he trails awkwardly and coughs.

"It's okay" Harry says slowly. The guy doesn't seem to be from this part of the city. Something about him seems … just not from here.

The guy looks back at Harry and smiles, "I'm Zayn by the way" he extends his hands and Harry shakes it.

"Harry!" his name is being shouted by his sister before he gets a chance to reply, "Oh! I didn't know you were with someone, a friend?" she looks at Zayn who shrugs.

"Hopefully?" he smiles making Harry chuckles softly.

"We just met" he tells his sister.

A man runs to Zayn's side, "Okay, all is done, let's go"

Zayn turns and waves as he goes away, "Been a pleasure to meet you!"

"Stop staring" his sister whispers making Harry roll his eyes.

"You're done?" he asks instead.

"Yeah, I guess I'm going to take this one" she points at one of them and Harry nods.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Subway isn't bad. It’s just a bit crowded and standing there for a long ride is going to be a pain in the ass. He thinks of plugging his earphones when he spots a familiar face. He walks between the people and slides next to him.

"Hey" The guy looks up and he doesn't have his glasses this time allowing Harry to see his eyes clearly. His eyelashes caught his gaze though, they were _very_ long, Harry thinks he's one of those people that put make-up and that he's having probably a mascara on.

Zayn smiles widely, "Hey"

"What stop do you get off at?"

"The end of the line"

Harry raises his eyebrows, "You live there?"

"No, but I'm meeting a friend there"

Harry nods, "Well, we still have a plenty of time then" he smiles and Zayn narrows his eyes at him but shakes his head with a smile afterwards.

"Yeah" he says quietly.

They keep talking through the whole ride, and Harry asked for his number which he gave but didn't have Harry's back. He didn’t pick his phone out of his pockets saying that it's already out of power. He also got to know that he doesn't have any sort of social media claiming that it's just a waste of time, and that he didn't like it, but promised to text Harry back.

He knew that he's living at another part of the city which he didn’t say exactly where but Harry didn't push him further, giving him his privacy. He also learned that he has a flat mate, and he works at a hardware store that he also didn't mention a name for it and Harry completely understood, he might be embarrassed, even if he didn't look like it. He was more nervous if Harry would put a word to Zayn's responses.

He was also single, which Harry did take a note of. His family lived far from him and he'd occasionally visit them. He also learned that Zayn likes this part of the city more than his own, and that he had many friends here to visit.

They eventually got off, and Zayn took a different route bidding him goodbye.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry did try to focus on his work instead of texting Zayn. He was funny, smart, cute, and yes, Harry did check him out so yeah, it brought a smile on his face every day, so why not?

He's glad that Zayn doesn't text him too late or too early. He told him that his job starts at 8 am and ends at 2 pm and he likes to keep his time to his work, so he doesn't text nor call. He also seems to sleep at almost 11 pm or midnight because that's when his texts stop.

He'd occasionally put Harry on hold for too long then apologizes that something happened with his flat mate or something like that. Harry didn't really think much about it.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn seems to enjoy just walking around the city streets with no specific place to go, so Harry just accompanied him. He'd told him about himself, what he does for a living, even talked about his family hoping that Zayn would open up more but he didn't.

They pass a silver Nissan GTR and Harry low whistles, "That's a beauty" _then there's you_ , but he doesn't say it.

Zayn only gives it a quick glance and a nod then continue walking like it doesn't matter.

"Not your type?" Harry asks.

"Not exactly … It's a nice ride but it just … I dunno … too fancy"

Harry looks at him, "You don't like fancy stuff?"

"Not really … What can you do with all of it? I mean, yeah they're nice and all, but it's just … It doesn't really matter … like, theses stuff just doesn't make you happy. I don't get why people are so interested in them"

Zayn turns to face Harry when he stops, and with his face in the street's dim light, he still shines bright in Harry's eyes. He really wants to make a brave move and ask him out or something but even if Zayn doesn't belong to the fancy class, he still looks like a gem reserved inside a glass box with a 'Do not touch' sign on it.

He is different -Harry noticed- from all those people he'd met before. In a good way. But Harry doesn't make a move, it'd be too early and he'd like to keep Zayn for as long as possible. And even though if Harry would flirt sometimes and Zayn would flirt back, it'd be for a short moment and then Zayn would be back to his normal self acting like it's a usual thing. So Harry doesn't make a move. He smiles and continue walking with Zayn till it's that time that he's going again.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn met Harry's sister. She was sweet and funny and he liked her. It somehow ended up with her dragging him to a wedding dress' store.

She kept trying on some stuff, and to her surprise, Zayn was actually an _expert_. He'd help her pick up the right dress that suits her body type and he'd suggest to go to another store when nothing catches his eyes.

They end up in some brand store, and Zayn picks up a very beautiful dress that got her _swooning_ on her spot. She soon noticed the price tag though and dropped it.

"Zayn, that's _too_ expensive!" she whisper shouted, making sure the staff didn't hear her.

"So? Just try it on" he whispers back with a smile.

"Then what? I'm not going to buy it and they obviously know that" she glances at the staff member smiling at them almost forcing that smile out for the job.

"They can't force us out of the store for no reason. Just try it on, it'd be really good on you"

She sighs taking the dress and walking towards the dressing room.

The dress was _fabulous_ she wanted to _steal_ it. She stood there admiring the dress for a while, and Zayn praised how good she looked in it which made her sadder that she _can't_ have it.

"Ugh! Life is so unfair!" She whined.

"True" Zayn agreed quietly.

She sighed, "Can you like … take a picture of me in that? At least I'd have a _memory_ " she chuckled.

Zayn did so, with her posing for the photos as if they were for her wedding day.

They didn't buy the dress with a lame excuse to the staff that she simply didn’t feel comfortable in it.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Guess what?"

Harry's sister gave Zayn a puzzled look with the package in hand, "What? You're moving in with Harry?"

Zayn furrowed his brows, "Um …" he started blushing, "No" he said quietly biting on his lips. "Anyway" he shakes his head, "Remember that dress you tried on that day and you really liked?"

"Which one? I liked too many dresses" she chuckled but soon turned to a gasp once Zayn pulled the dress out of the package along with matching shoes, "Zayn! … How did you! … I can't! That was too expensive!"

"Calm down, my friend started working there just a few days ago and something happened at the store and ended up in this" he flipped the dress to reveal a small cut that isn't even visible and can be fixed with no traces, "The manager got upset, saying his clients wouldn't like something ripped, and that he'd lose his reputation so he threw it away. Mt friend got it and she handed it to me once I told her about you, the shoes are a gift for your wedding, and I won't accept no for an answer!"

"OH MY GOD!!" She screamed and hugged him tightly until he's begging for air, "I love you I love you I love you" she pressed a kiss to his cheek and Zayn chuckled pulling away.

"I've never said it so … Congratulations. I hope you have a happy life"

"Oh my gosh" she started crying, "No wonder Harry is so hooked on you" Zayn blushes at that and clears his throat awkwardly. Then after calming her down, she thanked him again and they parted ways.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"When's the wedding?"

"First, don't talk with your mouth full. Second, I don't even know if he's feeling the same way" Harry sighed.

"Oh come on, Harry!"

"Just drop it. I don't want to ruin what we have at the moment, which is pretty nice, so just drop it"

His sister rolls his eyes at him, "By the way, where the hell is Louis? I haven't seen him in like … two weeks. He isn't being his annoying self which is scaring me a bit"

Harry laughs, "He's doing fine, just got a new job is all"

"That restaurant?" His sister asked, completely astonished.

"Yeah, doubt he'd make his first month, but he seems fine. Mature even, if I had to say"

"Seeing all those classy people must drive him insane … twice a day"

Harry chuckles, "He'd be fine"

"Anyway, make sure to ask Zayn for a dance at my wedding. I want to see some cute pictures when I look back at the album. Saying it now because I may not see any of you on that day"

"Dumping us already?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I've got eyes for my husband only" she flutters her eyelashes, "But I'm serious!" she says sternly, "I honestly want to see you happy, and he makes you happy" she smiled softly at him, and Harry smiles back.

"Yeah … He does"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Now, I'm searching for trust, in a city of rust_  
_A city of vampires_  
_Tonight, Elvis is dead, and everyone's spread_  
_And love is a satire_


	3. Ch.02

_There's nothing that I won't do_  
_Just to make you love me, love me, love me_  
_Throw away my pride for you_  
_Just to make you love me, want me, trust me_  
_Baby, I know I'm not ashamed_  
_Just need you and I could care less_  
_If everyone knows that I'm your fool_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Louis _hates_ being in the upper-class part of the city. He hates the upper-class people. But he got a job here at a restaurant that pays very well so he's not going to blow it off.

It has been raining nonstop since yesterday, and the streets are horribly affected. He's careful in his steps on the sidewalk, when suddenly a speeding car passes by and he finds himself _wet_.

"Fucking Hell!" He screams, because he doesn't have a spare outfit, and he can't walk into the restaurant looking like shit between those high-class people that would give him a judgmental look, and probably even _disgust_ , considering that not only his outfit caught water, but also _mud_ , along with his skin.

The car slows down and parks, a man gets off of it -Louis noticed it's a bronze Lamborghini- and walks to Louis, his sunglasses hiding his eyes, wearing expensive looking clothes -of course- and his hair is swept back into a quiff. He pulls a wallet off his pockets and hands Louis a couple of dollars in his hands, "sorry" he says then walks away.

"Rich bitch! I don't want your fucking money!"

The man doesn't seem to be affected by Louis' words as he simply gets in his car again, "Yes you do" then drives off again. And Louis hates how he is right, because he is in need to some fresh clothes before he gets inside the restaurant, and he looks down at his hands, the man gave him 700 dollars, as if it was nothing.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Louis sees the same guy inside the restaurant a few days later, not the same car nor the outfit, but he can tell it's the same guy. And he even seems to remember Louis as he takes a long glance at him then when another guy leads him to his table, he follows. Louis fights the urge to just walk there and spill some juice on him or something and mutter the same word then throws the same dollars he gave him few days ago if he hadn't spent some of it already. He doubts the man even remembers the correct amount, he seemed careless when he pulled the money out of his wallet. But if he did so, he will be fired for sure, so he just takes a deep breath and puts on his fake smile then goes to another table to serve it.

It seems that his luck isn't in his favor today as he accidently bumps into someone, who happens to be the guy with that other guy who he tried to avoid today. And it wasn't just a spill of water, it was more of a full tray that splattered over his suit. Louis would be sorry if it hadn't made him smile inwardly. _Those upper-class bitches deserve it_.

The man looks pissed as he narrows his eyes at Louis, but before he can utter a word the man from earlier stepped in between them, "Li, let it go" he cups the taller guy's face, and his entire face changes from anger to a soft expression. Louis is actually _glad_ , he should've apologized to keep his job, but it seems he doesn't even need to anymore.

The one that got between them calls someone and gives him an order and the other guy follows to the bathroom, apparently to change his clothes. He then turns to Louis, "Sorry" he apologizes again and he does seem _sincere_ , then goes back to his table.

Louis blinks for a moment then follows the guy to his table, "Um, so-"

"It's really fine, I can guarantee to you that you won't lose your job" the man cuts him off.

Louis stares at the man for a second then nods, "Thanks" he finds himself saying it and the other guy smiles at him, "Don't mention it"

At the end of the day, they do tip well and leave.

"You're lucky Mr. Payne isn't alone today or you would have lost your job" his co-worker whispers to his ear.

"Which one?" Louis asks.

"The big guy, the brunette"

"And who's the other guy?"

His co-worker smiles, "That's his husband, he's really sweet and kind, you'll find him very different from the other … people around here. He's our favorite customer really"

Louis nods, he does seem like he doesn't belong in this class.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Fuck this!" Louis keeps repeating. He finished his shift and was about to get home, but he seems to wait forever for the bus that he usually takes and now he's stuck, even if it was for just 10 minutes but Louis has promised his friends that he'd attend their get together this night on time.

A car pulls over and the window slides, "There's heavy traffic at the main lane, I'm afraid you'd be stuck here for _eternity_ " the man smiles and opens the car's door, "Get in, I'll give you a ride"

His co-worker described the guy as sweet and kind, he's also well known here so maybe he is not a bad person and won't kidnap him or something.

"I don't live here" he replies instead, waiting the bus won’t be _that_ bad.

The man sighs, "Just get in" he repeats and Louis gives up and gets inside the car. That's his first time inside such a luxury car, he can't really say he doesn't like the car, it was a _beauty_. He gives the man the directions and Louis can see there's a GPS in the car but the guy doesn't use it saying that he already _knows_ the place. Louis is surprised he knows how to get to the other side of the city since he doesn’t really need to. The life there is _very_ different than the life here.

The man speeds up over the allowed limit, passing cars driving by, and Louis may enjoy it if he wasn't afraid they'll get _arrested_ for it.

"Um, Mr. Payne, I don't think you should go this fast" he says carefully.

"Just relax. I know what I'm doing" the man smiles.

They get to chat for a bit during the ride and Louis couldn't believe that there are people from the upper-class side who are actually nice, instead of all those hypocrite bitches Louis have met. He also guesses that he might _hit_ on the guy if he wasn't already married, which he also thinks how someone like the guy driving can be with someone like the guy he met at the restaurant. He deserves someone better in Louis' opinion.

They eventually get to their destination, and Louis thanked they guy many times. They also got to exchange numbers, Louis does think of him positively and the other guy seems to be quite the fun type too. Even if he hadn't caught his first name.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Oh my …"

Harry follow's his sister gaze to land on _Zayn_.

It's his sister's wedding day at last, but she asked for Zayn to come a bit early knowing his amazing taste in style, so he can help her get prepared. Zayn was wearing a normal suit, but it looked far too good on him in Harry's eyes, _and_ his sister's too, and by judging the looks other people are giving him, he looks _good_. With his hair swept back, Harry sees it like that for the first time, he looks like something out of a painting.

He approaches them and hugs his sister first then says a quick 'Hi' to Harry who's in lost for words for a minute and he takes off with his sister to another room helping her get ready.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You look beautiful" Harry starts once he got some alone time with Zayn.

Zayn blushes and avoids Harry's gaze for a second, "You look handsome yourself"

Harry smiles and notices Louis coming in from over Zayn's shoulder. He slowly turns Zayn so he could see him as well, "There's someone you should meet" he did tell Louis about Zayn but they hadn't met yet and Louis had been _dying_ to meet him anyway.

Zayn coughs several times that Harry turns to him again, "You okay?"

"Give me a minute" Zayn manages to say and hurries to the bathroom. Harry stands there for a moment before Louis slaps his arm playfully.

The ceremony is about to begin and Harry didn't see Zayn yet so he walks to the bathroom to check on him, luckily he finds Zayn out of the bathroom and walking in his direction as well, "Come on, we're going to be late!" Harry pulls at his arm but Zayn stops pulling away.

Harry gives him a confused look until Zayn starts speaking, "My sister called and … My mum has been transferred to the hospital. I need to go right now" he starts walking backwards, "Tell your sister that I'm really sorry! I promise I'll make it up on her!"

Harry does let him go, his mother's health seems more important that his sister's wedding.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn did apologize to Harry's sister and to Harry himself, and Harry used it as an excuse to get Zayn to hang out with him. He did ask about his mother first though, he's not rude. But Zayn is a bit secretive when it comes to personal stuff so he doesn't say much, and Harry respects his privacy.

He offered to buy Zayn dinner but he politely declined. He ended up pulling Zayn into a local pub. Zayn insisted to pay for his own drinks, and Harry didn't protest or push him seeing Zayn was already _irritated_. He didn’t leave Harry though. Harry thought a couple of drinks should get Zayn to get back to his cheery self again, but Zayn didn’t want to drink more than one cup.

Harry did notice how Zayn's attitude _changed_ , and he guesses it had something to do with his family, maybe his mother isn’t doing as good as he says, but he can't know more, Zayn doesn't say much and he just wanted to _help_.

He ended up _drunk_ and Zayn had to dial his sister asking for Harry's address since he never got to his apartment before. He paid for a cap and got Harry to his apartment with lots of struggle since Harry was actually bigger than him and he was all over him. It was difficult to hold Harry _and_ removing Harry's hands off him at the same time, but he somehow managed to finally get Harry to his bed.

He looks around the flat and it's small but it looks cozy and he smiles a bit. He guesses leaving Harry to sleep is the best option, since it's already 11 pm, which he should be going home as well. He's about to walk to the door when he's being pulled back and pushed gently to the wall. He looks up and finds Harry _too close_. He's about to push him away when Harry's hands cover his own and he leans in to _kiss_ him.

Zayn is startled for a moment, and Harry's hands move to his sides making his own rest on Harry's chest, and he _isn't_ pushing anymore. Harry's drunk, he settles for that, but deep in his mind he knows he'd probably still do it _sober_. And he finds himself melting into Harry's touch kissing him back. Harry's hands move to his thighs and he picks him up and starts _shamelessly_ to grind against him.

Zayn moans allowing Harry to enter his mouth deepening the kiss. A vibration in Zayn's pocket jolts him back to reality and he pulls away, "Harry-" it was meant to tell Harry off but it came like a moan encouraging Harry _further_. "Wait-" he tries again but Harry moves to suck on his neck. "My phone" he does push Harry away this time and Harry drops him to his feet, still delivering kissed to the side of his face, jaw, neck, and any place he could reach, his hands still on Zayn's hips.

Zayn pulls away out of Harry's arms at last and picks up his phone, "Where are you?"

"Just needed to do something, I'm on my way home. We'll talk once I get there" he quickly replies and hangs up not really wanting to talk further. He puts his phone back into his pockets and turns to Harry. "I should really go" he whispers to himself and Harry probably won’t even remember anything in the morning so they're good.

He leaves Harry's apartment and takes the bus to the next stop where his car is parked. He unlocks it getting inside and turns the engines on. He looks at the mirror and notices a hickey _very visible_ on his neck, "Fuck!" he quickly dials the first name that comes to his mind.

"What did that bastard do this time?"

Zayn smiles, "Hey, Ni"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Fuck him. And not the literal one" Niall gets into the car next to Zayn. They’ve been good friends since they met in school, and they're still going strong. He smiles mischievously looking back at Zayn, "You should really go home like this, I can imagine how his reaction would be. Give him a piece of your mind"

Zayn sighs, "Yeah, that doesn't help"

Niall shakes his head and pulls a make-up box out of his bag, "I'm still with plan B" he was a good make-up artist so he helped him cover his hickey. "You still reek of alcohol though … And another male's perfume" he gives him spare clothes and Zayn quickly changes inside the car, putting more of his own perfume to cover Harry's.

"You're a life savior, Ni" He smiles widely making Niall smile as well.

"Off I go then! Call me if anything happens" he says as he gets off the car.

Zayn speeds up on the roads not caring really if he get a ticket, because he _won't_. With one flash of his ID he'd get out of any trouble, which he is thankful for at this moment.

He parks quietly once he gets home and gets inside the house.

He acts casual once he gets to the bedroom picking some clothes to change. He decides he'd ignore the person sitting on the bed staring at him as he goes for the bathroom. He carefully change his clothes, not touching _the spot_ on his neck, it should be gone in the morning, not that _he_ 'd be there to see it anyway.

He sits on the bed as well but he's curious to know, it's still early and _he_ doesn’t normally come home early, so he turns his head, "You're early" he says quietly.

"Yeah, don't have anything to do so I just came home" he smiles at Zayn as he turns as well, then pushes him down gently on the bed, "I also wanted to spend some time with my lovely husband" he leans in to kiss Zayn's forehead, but Zayn just cocks one of his eyebrows at him. "I was thinking … that maybe we can go on a vacation?"

Zayn blinks at him and sighs, "I don't want to go anywhere" he turns his body facing away from _him_.

"Why not?"

"I just don't want to, Liam"

Because in all honesty, Zayn is _tired_.

He met Liam when he was 15 and they got along very well, they started dating when they were 17 and they got married 2 years ago. Liam was sweet and kind, and he still is, Zayn wouldn't deny it, Liam _never_ once yelled at him or ever abused him, he would buy him anything, he'd say to him all those sweet words. But as they grew up, Liam took his family business and it was expanding very well internationally, and they grew apart.

Zayn thought it was a stage, and that it was just at first because Liam was still new to the business, but it _wasn't_. As the business continued to expand, Liam became _busier_ than ever, and he'd rarely see him anymore. He'd go to sleep without Liam by his side and wake up to an empty bed. He sometimes would wake up at the middle of the night to find strong arms wrapped around him and he'd smile thinking of a new hope to their relationship, but it soon _fades_.

His entire day was _boring_ , he would hang out with his friends but there was _still_ a missing hole in his heart that can't be filled. He thought it was because of him, that maybe Liam isn't attracted to him anymore, he even grew a doubt that Liam is _cheating_ on him with someone else that he ended up bribing the security in Liam's company and following him around undercovered but he just found that Liam is simply _workaholic_.

He thought that if he seduced Liam enough, and started clinging on him he'd spent more times with him. He even thought of cross-dressing and role-play. He was _desperate_ for Liam to come back to him, which seemed to work at that time, but all that lead to was _sex_ , and more sex. Not that he didn't like it, he missed the physical contact, but the emotional pain was _real_. They were not talking, they were _fucking_ , and Zayn didn't want that, it was _not_ what he had in mind.

So he stopped, and even when Liam _begged_ him at times for him to try on a new outfit or something he'd say he's tired and they'd drop it, and things soon became like it was _before_. Zayn started drinking to help him forget the pain but Liam soon found out and strictly told Zayn to quit, they had many arguments because of that but Liam was calm while Zayn was screaming and breaking stuff, throwing stuff, whatever it was. He'd still hold him in his arms telling him he's sorry and that he loved him, and Zayn would give in.

But Liam never kept his promises when it came to work, he'd soon get back to his workaholic schedule that Zayn asked for a either a divorce or that Liam would leave his company. He tried to reason with Liam that they already have enough money to live off happily for the rest of their lives but Liam retorted saying that if he stopped, many people would lose their jobs and again, Zayn found himself ripping the divorce papers apart.

Zayn was _still_ upset, so whenever Liam found him like that, he'd buy him a new car, a new jewelry item, or something expensive. Zayn _never_ asked for money, but Liam opened a bank account for him anyway, putting millions of dollars there so whenever Zayn would need to buy anything, he'd just swipe his card. The only thing that Zayn asked for was Liam's time, he continuously _begged_ Liam to at least have less working hours and Liam _did_ actually listen to him.

It wasn't what Zayn expected. He'd see Liam home more often, but he'd be in his office, doing more work. Zayn _hated_ it, and he yelled at Liam to take his work outside the house again. Liam didn't agree on Zayn having to work saying that he already got everything covered for him and that he doesn't need to do anything more. Zayn tried to even help Liam around his work but he couldn't really and it lead to a major _disaster_ at the company. But Liam didn't even give Zayn _one_ negative look, he remembers that Liam simply told him that he should rest at home and that he'd take care of it.

Zayn _cried_. Whenever he'd find himself remembering all the good times he'd spent with Liam before he'd take over his family business, he'd cry. Liam noticed and he took him to Hawaii for a full week. Liam took him to many places before so Zayn wasn't impressed by anywhere, he'd be fine next to Liam anywhere as long as he actually gets to _see_ him.

The first three days, Liam was all over him, never leaving his side, and Zayn found himself happy again. The hole in his heart was slowly healing. He remembers that time when Liam got a call from work and they were at the beach, and Liam threw his phone into the water saying he doesn't care about anything but Zayn, and that this time is especially for him. That time, his tears were out of _joy_.

That didn't last, and Zayn found out that Liam had another phone. So when they got back and everything was crushing down again, Zayn found himself _numb_. He didn't know what to do anymore, so he took his car and drove to the other side of the city. He met some people there, some were nice, he never told them who he was, he kept his wedding ring at his car so whenever he'd go out wearing casual clothes, people wouldn’t be looking at him as Zayn Payne, he'd be normally seen as _Zayn_.

Then he met Harry. The careless guy who doesn't care about money, who's happy with what he has, who doesn't ask for more. He doesn't know why he got so attached to those green eyes but he did, and he felt _scared_. He was married, he basically lied to Harry in order to cover his identity, and he'd probably hate him if he knew, because Harry was flirting with him and Zayn was just shrugging it off hoping Harry would get the hint but he never did. He bloody kissed him and left a hickey! He was definitely interested and Zayn made a mental note that if Harry somehow remembered he'd deny it and say that he was drunk and that was probably a dream.

But he can't help the tug at his heart whenever he thinks of Harry, and he can't help but think what if his and Liam's lives were much _simpler_. Money made everything _worse_.

So he doesn't repeat his mistakes.

"I promise there won't be any business, we'd have all the time to ourselves" Liam tries again kissing Zayn's cheek.

Zayn turns to him with a blank expression, "And then?"

"And then?" Liam repeats with confusion.

"When we get back you'll be back to your company, and I'll be back to being nothing to you" Zayn tries so hard not to break right now in front of Liam, because he knows, that if he gives in, Liam would win like every time, so he doesn't allow himself to break in front of him.

"No … babe" Liam sets his forehead against Zayn's, "You're everything to me-"

"Prove it"

"I'm trying to" Liam pulls back to look at Zayn's eyes, and Zayn hates how Liam sounds sincere all the time, he should be yelling, they should be starting an argument but Liam is calm, like he's afraid if he raised his voice the slightest level Zayn would _break_. And maybe it's a fact, that if Liam ever raised his voice Zayn would actually lose it and he'd bring the divorce issue once more, he's already thinking about it. What's the benefit of having a partner if you don't see him at day nor night? He doesn’t even get to call or text him during his job hours.

"Zayn I'm trying to fix this, please just give me one more chance"

Zayn wishes he can see a lie in Liam's eyes, but he _can't_. He sighs deeply, "If you ever brought the subject of 'work' during our vacation I'm taking the next plane to god knows where"

Liam tries not to chuckle, because he can easily track Zayn and fly to him. "Promise"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _I thought you know me better babe_  
_Than to think that I would do you that way_  
_I don't need a house in the hills and I_  
_I don't need a man like Midas_  
_I thought you knew me better, babe_  
_Than to think that I would do you that way_  
_I don't need a house and a Benz, I just_  
_I just want your love_


	4. Ch.03

_Can I still make it right? Can I be what you like?_  
_Can I keep up this fight?_  
_I hope that you'll never know, why I need your control_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry wakes up feeling like _shit_. He hopes the last night's events were just a _dream_ , even if part of him wishes it was real, but obviously Zayn was _not_ up to it. He tried calling Zayn but he didn’t answer which worried him more. _What if he hates him now?_ He'd be sure to apologize and say it was a drunken mistake and hope that Zayn would believe him and forgive him, and they can return to what they had before the incident. He ended up by leaving a text and hoped Zayn would reply to him.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn on the other hand, wakes up with strong arms around his waist and a chest pressed firmly to his back. They didn’t do anything last night not that Zayn would allow Liam to do anything anyway, _or perhaps he would_ , he doesn’t really know, but a smile appears on his face, having Liam next to him always feels right.

He turns in Liam's arms to find him still asleep. He stares at his figure for a minute, the one he doesn't get to see very much lately, close to never. He traces his hands slowly on Liam's face and down his chest. He presses a soft kiss to Liam's neck then gets up slowly taking Liam's arms off him.

He takes a bath and settles for a turtle neck shirt to cover his 'still existing' hickey. He's actually glad that Liam is still asleep, he might have got in shower with him and questions would be asked. Now that he thinks about it, Liam doesn't sleep that much. He bites his lip getting out of the bathroom, _did something happen?_

He quietly grabs his phone and sits on the sofa placed in their bedroom. He finds 4 missed call from Harry and a text message. He quickly opens it and reply to him ensuring that nothing happened last night and that he simply got him home then left when he fell asleep, hoping that Harry would not have a memory of last night's events. He also tells him that he'd be off to see his family for the next week and Harry seems to believe him yet again. He hates how he has to lie to him, but he has his reasons.

Liam shifts in the bed and turns to face him. Zayn doesn't smile at him, he shuts his phone and places it on the table next to him then gets up to have breakfast, which he is also glad that he doesn't have to make, it's one benefit that you get with money.

Liam follows him and sits across from him but he isn't eating, Zayn doesn't say a word about it either. "So …" Liam starts while looking at him, and Zayn stops eating to look back and raises his brows.

Liam clears his throat, "Are we still going?"

Zayn sighs, "You don't have work today?" he asks after a long pause.

"Don't have for a while" Liam replies smiling.

Zayn stares at him then gets up, he has too many feeling inside of him that make his stomach _churn_. Liam still follows him back to the bedroom, but Zayn ignores him sitting back on the bed with his phone in hands.

"Babe please just talk to me"

Words aren't enough, Zayn wants _actions_ , and Liam doesn't seem to get it, or he does but he chooses to ignore it. He looks back at Liam and studies him for a long moment. He wants some time with Liam, just the two of them anywhere, but he knows that after those sweet days pass, Liam would get back to his work, so what's the point?

"Do I need to pack?" Liam's face lit up at Zayn's words.

"If you want to have anything from here, other than that we can just buy whatever you need from there"

"Where's there?" Liam shuffles closer with a smirk on his face, "A surprise"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Bali was nice. It has a great weather, the people were generous, the hotel's service was good, and Liam didn't do anything work related during their time there.

He would take Zayn sightseeing, the different temples there were _mesmerizing_. Zayn hadn't been here before, and Liam is glad that he isn't getting bored. He'd take him scuba diving, have a safari tour. And if they're not at the beach, they're on a yacht, and Zayn started slowly to loosen up. They don't stay at one place for too long, and Zayn wasn't complaining, moving around the island with Liam made him more than happy. And if they happen to have a bit of sex, Zayn would actually enjoy it.

Zayn forgot about what would happen when they get back and allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Maybe he could somehow affect Liam and that he'd at least be home more often. It's nice to see Liam showing affection towards him in all possible ways, spoiling him to no ends, and actually listening to him when he talks, which is something that he misses as well, conversations with Liam.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry's sister was supposed to have her honeymoon at Tahiti, but her husband surprised her with a two-day reservation at Bali. Spending her honeymoon in two places was beyond exciting considering she'd never been to both before.

They were driving near a private property and she actually envies the rich people who owns those type of stuff, being separated from the public and just enjoying their time, but she still doesn't protest, what they have right now is nice, and they're happy.

She could see two people coming off the house and into their car. She blinks a few times. Zayn was one of them. She remembers Harry telling her that he's visiting his family and she did get in touch with Zayn himself who only confirmed that information. Problem is, he told her that his family lived in Bradford. She asked the driver to follow their car and they parked a bit far away from them in order not to be seen.

She did not miss the huge diamond ring that rests on Zayn's fingers on his left hand. She would be happy for him if he got engaged, but he didn't say, and the fact that he lied about his whereabouts worries her, aside from her brother's crush. Her doubts are confirmed when the other guy kissed him leaving Zayn with a wide smile afterwards.

The guy seemed to be _hella rich_. And that didn't make sense, Zayn wasn't the type to care for money nor the one who likes to own much of it, but he seems _happy_ with that guy. She figures she should go and congratulate him even if he didn't invite them, maybe he's the type that likes keeping things on the low, and having someone _that rich_ might had something to do with it.

So she does. She walks to him before he gets inside the fancy restaurant. "Zayn!" she smiles and hugs him.

Zayn seems startled but he hugs back and forces a smile out, "Hey! I thought you were at Tahiti?"

"Well, yeah, but we got an unexpected change of plans, and who am I to protest? This place is amazing!" Zayn nods still nervous. "By the way, I'm a bit mad at you for not telling us, but congratulations!" She holds his left hand, and wow, the diamond ring is just _too beautiful_.

"Uh, thanks … It's, um …"

"Come on, babe" the other guy interrupts them and she smiles at him anyway.

Zayn clears his throat and introduces her as a 'friend' but doesn't say more. He excuses himself and promises to explain later. She thinks about calling Harry and tell him, but she's too afraid his heart would be _broken_ so she figures she's going to tell him when she gets back.

She calls Louis later when she gets off her flight and she ends up by telling him about Zayn.

"I know, I should tell Harry" she sighs into the phone.

"Yeah" Louis says slowly.

"What is it?" she frowns, Louis is quite during the conversation, so unlikely him.

"It's just … the description you mentioned of them both is familiar"

"Familiar? Have you seen them before?"

"Can you give me Zayn's number?" She does and Louis stays quite for a long moment. The number matches with the one he has saved in his contacts list.

"Louis?"

"They've been married for two years"

"What?!"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn knows he's screwed. If one of them knew who he is then all are gonna know. He can't go back and pretend. He lets his mind wander for a moment, maybe he doesn't _need_ to go back? Maybe Liam would finally spend more time with him when they get back.

"What are you thinking about?" Liam whispers in his ear wrapping his arms around him. Zayn smiles and relaxes into Liam's embrace. He leans his head backwards on Liam's shoulder allowing the latter to kiss down his neck.

"You" he says turning his head so he can kiss Liam on the lips.

"I've been thinking about you too, babe" he gives him another kiss. "Been thinking that we can go to Italy next month"

Zayn's eyes lit up and he meets Liam's, "We're going to spend two months in our vacation?"

Liam bites his lip, "We're going to head back home first"

"Okay" Zayn replies softly turning fully in Liam's arms.

"Which means … that we're heading back tomorrow" Liam hates himself for how Zayn's face fall and turns from that happy-soft expression to something colder and _sadder_. Zayn steps back from his arms and looks up at him.

"Work" he simply says.

"Babe, it's just an emergency. I swear I'll take you next month-"

"It's okay" Zayn cuts him off. Liam doesn't seem to get it at all. He doesn't want to travel the world if he will be doing it alone. He'd stay on a fucking roof with Liam watching the sky instead of a fancy yacht, but Liam still doesn't get it. And Zayn has had enough. Opening his heart to let it shatter once more is hurting him enough and he doesn't want to hear what Liam has to say because he knows Liam won't stay with him no matter what he does. He is even sure that Liam already booked the plane tickets. So he quietly turns to the bedroom and sleeps, not caring if Liam is next to him or not. In fact, he wishes he is _not_.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

The next few days are horrible. Liam is barely home like always and he doesn't want to go back to the other side of the city. He wishes he could go to Niall's but Niall is at Australia getting some job done.

He ends up in the streets with his car, not really caring where he's going. He just lets the roads take him to wherever. It's heavily raining and he's speeding up, and he knows it's not the best idea but he just goes for it.

It's only when he almost hit three cars that he parks his car on the side and lays his head on the steering wheel. He's going to die at this rate. But Zayn doesn't even care anymore, his life is already ruined, he doesn't have someone that he could lean into. He is _broken_ , far too broken to care anymore, his body is numb, but his heart still _aches_. And he just wants someone to _hold_ him. He starts his car once again driving at the same speed as before and this time he barely manages to evade another car. The police officer lets him go once he sees his ID. At least Liam's position helps him at those times.

He doesn't realize he's been parked in front of Harry's building for almost an hour now until he finally steps out of his car. He stands in the rain for a while debating whether to go inside or not. After standing for a couple of minutes there he decides to go inside. He stands in front of Harry's apartment door for a while as well then he rings the bell.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry groans as the door's bell wakes him up. He glances at the watch and sighs running his hands over his face and pushes his hair back. _Who the hell wants him at 2 am?_ He gets off the bed and opens the door anyway.

He frowns finding a soaking wet Zayn at his door. _Why the hell was he out at this hour?_ Zayn looks up at him and he couldn't hold it in him anymore. A sob escapes and he _breaks_.

Harry quickly wraps him in his arms bringing him closer. He is too afraid to ask what got Zayn to be hysterically crying in his arms, but he holds him tightly trying to calm him down. A small part of him is happy that Zayn turned to _him_ when he's feeling down, and he hopes he was his first choice.

When Zayn finally calms down and loosens his grip around Harry, Harry also pulls away slightly. _Act first talk later_. "Come on, we should get you changed" He should get himself changed as well, his own clothes got wet from holding Zayn, _not that he minded_.

He hands Zayn some clothes and Zayn gladly takes going to the bathroom to get changed. Harry changes at his room since Zayn isn't coming out now, not that he would mind Zayn looking- he should stop. Zayn isn't in a stable state, he should take care of that first.

Zayn dumps his clothes on a chair and stands awkwardly in Harry's bedroom, playing with the sleeves. Harry should calm down, seeing Zayn in his clothes is _too much_ for him.

"Um, you should probably get some rest" Harry points to the bed but Zayn doesn't move, still looking down. Harry walks towards him, "Everything is going to be okay" he hugs him one more time and walks him to the bed. Zayn seems to be too tired as he almost instantly closes his eyes once Harry pulls the covers over him. He's curled over himself that makes him smaller and Harry can't stop himself when he leans in placing a lingering kiss on Zayn's forehead.

Before Harry leaves him he notices something shiny poking out of the sleeve. He slides it slowly and a huge diamond ring comes in full view. He stares at it for a while. _Talk later_ , he reminds himself and stands up.

Something vibrates in Zayn's jeans and he picks it up. A golden iPhone 6 is at his hands and that’s not what Harry is surprised at. The fact that the cover is _actual gold_ and 'Zayn' is carved there surrounded by _diamonds_ is what catches his eyes.

The contact name is 'Liam' and there is a picture of the guy and he guesses he's a friend? He doesn’t pick up though, he doesn't know Zayn's story yet, so he puts the phone down and another thing poking out of Zayn's other pocket catches his attention. He slides the car key and stares at the 'Lamborghini' sign at it. He fumbles into Zayn's clothes to find everything that he wears is branded. _What the hell did Zayn get into?_

He looks outside the window and the Bronze Lamborghini is indeed parked there. _Talk later_ , he reminds himself again.

He settles for the couch tonight.

The door's bell ring again and he groans, he glances at the watch to see it's 3:30 am. He's going to kill someone.

He opens the door seeing a familiar face. The one at Zayn's phone, _Liam_. He blinks at the guy with a glare and confusion at the same time. The guy is the same height, and he even has a built body, and he seems to wear expensive clothes. If Zayn got himself in trouble, _does he need to fight that guy?_

"Where is he?"

"Excuse me?"

"Where's Zayn?"

"And who are you?"

Liam sighs and gives Harry an irritated look, "I'm his _husband_ " Harry blinks. Of course he is, everything makes much more sense now.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _There ain't need to cry no more_  
_When you break my heart in two, twenty four_  
_I'll pick up the pieces you left_  
_If you think I'm coming back, don't hold your breath_


	5. Ch.04

_Cross my heart and hope to die_  
_Burn my lungs and curse my eyes_  
_I've lost control and I don't want it back_  
_I'm going numb, I've been hijacked, It's a fucking drag_  
_I taste you on my lips and I can't get rid of you_  
_So I say damn your kiss and the awful things you do_  
_Yeah, you're worse than nicotine, nicotine, Yeah_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry doesn't move, so Liam pushes past him to get inside. But if he was Zayn's husband shouldn't Zayn go to him first? Unless something happened between them that made Zayn that way, probably the latter. Harry blocks Liam's way when he tries to get to the bedroom.

"I don't know what happened exactly, and I'm not sure if he wants to see you right now"

Liam is still giving him an annoyed look, "Who are you, again?"

Harry sighs, "Harry. I'm a friend of Zayn's" he pauses, "You can at least wait till he wakes up"

Liam eyes him for a second. Zayn didn't pick up his calls nor replied to his messages and he knows Zayn is upset so he nods, giving Zayn some time to rest would calm him down and he can then take him home. He follows Harry in the small apartment to sit on the couch. He takes a look around the apartment and he wonders why does Zayn know someone from this part of the city anyway.

They stay quiet for a long time and Harry can see the way Liam looks around his apartment. He knows he's rich and all, but that still doesn’t give him the privilege of judging him. Zayn is from the same class, and he never once said anything degrading the lower-classes. _How can both be together?_

"So … For how long do you know each other?" Liam starts. Zayn had never told him about anyone named Harry, and certainly not from _this place_.

Harry just wants to sleep right now, but he is taking care of couple's issues instead. _Perfect_. "A couple of months" he says slowly.

Liam nods at that and he's about to ask more questions when they hear the door's bell again. Harry swears under his breath. This is too much for one night, who else is coming? He opens the door and a blonde guy smiles at him.

"Hi! You must be Harry! I'm Niall. Zayn's friend"

Harry is startled for a second but Niall is already pushing past him to get inside. "Oh, hi douchebag!" He greets Liam who doesn’t seem to be triggered that much as he rolls his eyes.

Niall takes this as his cue to punch Liam in the face. Harry gapes at him but doesn't say anything. He barely knows either of them and he doesn't want to get in the way. They hear a loud gasp and Harry turns to find Zayn back in his own clothes even if they're still wet. He hurries to Liam kneeling in front of him and checking his face for injuries.

"Niall!" He shouts at him as he holds Liam in his arms.

"You honestly taking his side?" Niall asks in disbelief. And he sees Liam obviously taking advantage of Zayn's soft side as he relaxes in his arms, burying his face into Zayn. Niall rolls his eyes and crosses his arms waiting for Zayn to get up.

He called Zayn once he got his messages and he was supposed to stay a few more days at Australia but he came back sooner. He did came to pick him up, considering that Harry doesn't really know anything about the situation, but he found Liam, and he was waiting for a chance to punch him for a while now.

Zayn starts to get up once he sees that Liam's face isn't injured. He may have evaded Niall's punch but stumbled backwards, or that Niall's punch wasn't that strong. Liam clutches to him to stop him, "Wait, babe-"

"Liam let go" he cuts him off quietly. Niall does interfere this time pulling Liam's hands away harshly making Zayn frown at him. And Niall still can't believe Zayn is worrying about Liam. He ignores the look anyway and helps Zayn getting up.

"You're going to catch a cold" he mumbles then looks back at Liam, "Wish to never see your face again, asshole" he drags Zayn out of the apartment but manages to glance at a confused Harry mouthing 'sorry' then leaving.

He doesn't allow Zayn to drive his car in his condition, so he takes the driver's seat, driving to his own house.

Liam also left behind them quickly, not bothering to say another word to Harry. He only cares about getting Zayn back and he knows Niall hates his guts which would only lead for Zayn to be mad at him even more. Another thing is that even if he gets to Niall's house there is no way to get inside while Niall is there, they'd start fighting and Zayn hates it, and he doesn't want to upset Zayn more.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Niall managed to convince Zayn to get some sleep. It was already the early morning, but Zayn doesn't have anything to do anyway, and neither does Niall for the next few days.

Zayn doesn't fall asleep right away. He can see his phone flashing, notifying him of a new message or a call. He knows that Liam is trying to reach him, but he doesn't want to talk to Liam at the moment. He doesn't open his messages. He stops when he sees a message from Harry and opens it. He was expecting some questions regarding the whole situation, maybe telling him not to bother reaching again, but all that he finds is Harry asking about his wellbeing.

A smile creeps on his face, after all the lies Harry still cares. And for the first time, Zayn tells the truth when Harry asks if he's okay.

 _-No_.

He remembers now that he didn't even utter a 'thank you' to Harry, and he figures he needs to tell him that face to face, he's sure Harry is confused, and he deserves to know the truth. So he tells him the address, and Harry promises to step by later that day giving Zayn some time to rest.

Zayn does close his eyes this time allowing his body to drift to sleep once he tossed his phone aside putting it to silent mode.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"He's married" Harry sighs. He is sat with Louis at a local coffee shop. He told him what happened last night but Louis only listened the whole time, Harry furrows his eyebrows, "You've honestly changed since you started working at that place-"

"I know" Louis cuts him off looking down, "I knew about him, but … we were going to tell you I swear!" he looks up giving Harry an apologetic look.

"What do you mean by _we_?"

"Your sister ran into him and Liam while she was at Bali. I met him when he came to the restaurant, I didn't know by then but … yeah" he replies quietly.

Harry stays quiet. At least if he knew before he'd stop pining after him. But after a second thought, he probably _wouldn't_.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry would admit that Niall is very friendly, comparing to the way he treats Liam which made him wonder why he hates him so much. He followed him to the kitchen where Zayn is and offered him food. Harry politely refused but Niall was already shoving a plate his direction. He excused himself when he finished allowing Harry some alone time with Zayn.

"Look, I know you probably hate me by now-"

"I don't hate you" Harry smiled making Zayn look up at him finally.

"I'd have told you but it's … Complicated" Zayn sighed looking down again.

"It's fine" Zayn looked up at him again, "You obviously had your reasons" They kept staring at each other for a moment till Niall came down the stairs with a baseball bat. Zayn frowned following Niall.

"What are you doing with that?"

"Stuff" Zayn sighed quickly grabbing the bat from Niall then raising his brows, "Stuff?"

Niall sighed, "Okay, fine. I was just going to have a little talk with the fucker"

Zayn frowned, "He's still here?" then quickly sent Niall a glare, "And don't call him that!"

Niall rolled his eyes heading back to the living room. "Whatever" he mumbled. Harry just listened to the conversation awkwardly, not knowing what to do really. Zayn went back to him sitting in his stool once more.

"Sorry … They're always like that" but he doesn't smile, of course they weren't friends.

"Also, I wanted to say thanks … And not just for last night" he smiled.

"It's okay" Harry replied smiling as well. "Everything is going to be okay" he assures him. Zayn stands up and heads for the window, Liam is still there apparently inside his car watching Zayn back. He wonders whether Liam is still there because he cares or because he doesn't have much work to do today. He hopes it's the first one.

"No" Niall says sternly. Harry turns to find him already inside the kitchen. He hadn't noticed, probably busy staring at Zayn. Zayn looks back at him with furrowed brows. "Do not think about forgiving him. And do not think about letting him in. I won't allow you to" He grabs Zayn's arm moving him away from the window. Zayn rolls his eyes.

"I wasn't going to" he mumbled.

"You were thinking about it" Niall retorts making Zayn groan. He goes for his phone but Niall quickly grabs it and shuts it down, "Don't" he warns Zayn walking back to the living room. Once again, Harry just sits there awkwardly, while Zayn huffs in annoyance and sits across from him.

"Um … I should probably go" Harry stands up.

"Don't let it bother you, Harry. Just the daily life!" Niall shouts at him. It's weird how he always pops out of nowhere. "Hey, I won't be the only one handling the shit around here" he continues earning another glare from Zayn.

"Since I'm bothering you so much, I should go home" Zayn mumbles. Niall gives him an unimpressed look.

"Be good and bring us some drinks. Or you would like for your friend to think lowly of us? That we have a bad hospitality?"

Zayn sighs but heads to the kitchen again anyway. Harry sits next to Niall shaking his head.

"Why couldn't he marry you? You're much better than that asshole" Harry shifts uncomfortably in his seat and turns his head the other side looking at anything but Niall. "Hey! Don't be shy! I mean, Zayn didn't literally cheat with you, although I'd like for him to have someone else-"

"We didn't do anything" Harry quickly interrupts him.

Niall blinks at him then smirks, "Dude, he wouldn't allow you to leave a hickey on his neck if he wasn't interested" Harry turns at him this time with furrowed brows, _he thought that didn't happen?_ But before they get to talk more Zayn comes back flopping on a seat next to Harry handing them the drinks. Niall smiles widely.

"I like him. If you wanna go for him, you have my approval" Zayn blushes looking down and playing with his ring. Wait, why did he even _blush_? He's _married_! He loves Liam. He should say something.

"Can I have my phone now?" Niall picks the phone out of his pocket but keeps it out of Zayn's reach once he tries to get it making him lose his patience.

"I was thinking about getting you a new one, something that doesn't have _his_ signature on it. You should really move on"

"Then I'd kill you" Zayn replies glaring at Niall. Harry just wants to go home, why is he in the middle of this argument?

"Um-" Harry starts but Niall cuts him off.

"Zayn, he's never going to change"

"You don't know that"

"He hasn't in two fucking years!" Niall shouts. "How much more years do you need to understand that?"

"You don't know him!" Zayn shouts back standing up.

"You wanna know something?" Niall starts more quietly this time, "He was drifting away before you two got married"

"Not true" Zayn replied shakily.

"I was fucking there all those times that he cancelled on you just to finish a fucking paper! I was there when he left you crying for the millionth time!"

"Stop"

"I was there each time when you crashed down because he didn't care!"

"Stop!"

"And you want to get back to all of this again? It's not that I don't know him enough, it's more that you're blind to the obvious truth that shines so bright in front of your eyes but you _still_ choose to turn your face!"

"Stop!" Zayn shouts and starts crying sinking to the floor with his face in his hands, shaking terribly. Harry quickly runs to his side hugging him closer, whispering calming words to his ear. Niall sighs flopping back to his seat with his face in his hands as well.

Harry carefully scoops Zayn in his arms carrying him upstairs and places him on the bed once he reached the bedroom. Harry keeps holding him till he calms down entirely then after falling asleep in his arms he gently unwraps Zayn's arms from around him and pulls the covers over him, then he leaves quietly.

He returns to Niall who looks up once he notices him. "He's asleep"

Niall nods at him, "Sorry that you had to witness all of that"

"You shouldn’t have said all those things"

Niall sighs, "You know nothing, Harry. It's been like that for a very long time. He needs to open his eyes and see the truth"

"Still … This isn't the best way to treat a broken person"

"What do you want me to do? Keep _lying_ to him? Say that everything would be okay when it's _not_? This would only lead to him _hurting_ and I'm done with that! He doesn't deserve that! _That asshole_ doesn't deserve him!" Niall shouts.

Harry waits for Niall to calm down for him to speak, "I know it's hard, and I'm not asking for you to lie to him. I'm just saying your way of handling things isn’t right"

" _My way?_ And what 'way' do you suggest to do?"

Harry bites his lip, "I don't know the whole story but we should take it slow. He would simply ignore everything you say if you keep using that way"

"And why is that?" Niall raises his brows.

And as much as it hurts Harry to say it, he knows it's true.

"Because he's in love"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _If you've ever think of us_  
_Baby, you should think of everything that you gave up_  
_While I run away from love, If I ever think of us_  
_I will just remember what I went through when I gave up on you_


	6. Ch.05

_One more time I stand by_  
_While you choose to cross the line_  
 _I don't know why I try, Should have left it all behind_  
 _Can't go on, can't rewind, Something holds me deep inside_  
 _What's the point, love aside, I have no more tears to cry_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn woke up at the middle of the night. Niall did return his phone back to him and it was on the nightstand but Zayn didn't check it, not even to see if Harry called or texted after he's gone, too afraid to find something from Liam that he'd be caught into.

But he gets up nonetheless and walks towards the window. He opens the curtains slightly so he can have a look, and he sees Liam still there, leaning on his car, staring back at him. Zayn bites his lip and closes the curtains again. Being there at the middle of the night alone waiting for him is something Zayn didn't expect. What about his work? Does he really care this time? Or would it turn like _each time?_

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He knows he _shouldn't_. He shouldn't have even opened the damn curtains, but he _did_ , and he's already _lost_. Niall would be yelling at him in the morning, but he doesn't care. Right now, all that is in his mind is _Liam_. So he gets down quietly not to wake Niall up and opens the front door.

Liam is standing there as if he was expecting Zayn to open the door for him, and it's ironic how Liam has that effect on him. Holding a bouquet of roses and a box of Zayn's favorite type of chocolate. Zayn wants to snort at him, sure those stuff are nice, but he doesn't want them, _never did_.

"I just want to talk, Zayn" Liam starts quietly handing Zayn the flowers and the box. Zayn doesn't take them. His eyes never leaving Liam's own.

Liam sighs when Zayn doesn't respond, "Zayn … I know I've made a lot of mistakes. And I know that you deserve better … better than me" Liam pauses and Zayn swears his heart is falling to the ground. _Liam is breaking up with him_. He tries to think of anything else but he can't, and he feels he's about to burst up crying any second by now-

"But you're my everything" Liam continues and his voice is a bit shaky, and Zayn tilts his head in confusion. _Liam isn't breaking up with him?_

Liam kneels on the ground putting the stuff he came with away, "Zayn, I'm ready to do whatever you ask me to, just please don't leave me" his eyes gets glossy and Zayn just stares at him.

"Words don't fix a broken heart, Liam" Zayn is surprised he even found his own voice, it's weak but is loud enough for Liam to hear it. Liam takes Zayn's hands in his.

"Whatever you need me to do, I will do it" Liam repeats more confidently this time.

"Leave your job" Zayn replies quietly. It's the only request he'd always asked for.

"I'll hire someone to do my job" Liam nods, "First thing tomorrow-"

"Now" Zayn interrupts. Because he's tired of all of Liam's promises that never come true. He doesn't care what hour they're at, Liam had spent those hours at his company sometimes so surely it isn't a problem for his staff to be either.

"Yeah, okay" Liam gets to his feet, "Sure" he slides his phone out of his pocket and dials a number. He doesn't wait for long and his assistant picks up. Zayn could tell from what he's hearing that Liam is asking for someone to fill him in. _Permanently_. And Liam would sign the requested papers later on to carry on with the change. Zayn blinks. _Was Liam really giving up his work finally to be with him?_ Liam ends the call and turns to Zayn with a hopeful look. "Done. Anything else?"

Zayn doesn't speak so Liam approaches him carefully. "Babe?" his tone is turning softer as he slowly wraps his arms around Zayn's waist.

"One" Zayn finally says it. But he doesn’t push Liam away, "One last chance is all I'm giving you, Liam-" Liam doesn't wait for his next words as he leans in to kiss him.

"I promise you, you won’t need to" Liam mumbles against his lips. And Zayn is a _fool_. How many times had he given Liam last chances? How many times had his heart _betrayed_ him and came down in pieces all because of Liam? Niall's words are still replaying in his mind, but he can't not to. He can't leave Liam.

Zayn ends up laying on Liam's car hood, with Liam between his legs, sharing many kisses in the moonlight. The roses are beside them on the hood, next to the box of chocolate that's already empty by now.

Liam pulls away but doesn't move, his arms are still wrapped around Zayn's waist bringing him closer. He stares at him for a while and just admires Zayn's soft look on his face, that smile and those eyes that he'd fallen in love with and _still_ falling apparently. "I'm madly in love with you" he says at last and Zayn's smile widen a bit, his fingers tracing gentle touches on Liam's face.

"I love you too" he says quietly.

"I'm so lucky to have you" Liam pecks his lips once, "And I'm never letting you go" he goes for a deep kiss, "You're mine"

Zayn smiles, "I'm yours"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn ignored Niall for the next few days. He doesn't need someone yelling at him where he could be enjoying his life instead. Sure, Niall would be angry at him, but he has no reason to be. Well, not quite. Liam _did_ carry on his word this time, hiring another one to take care of the job, he still does stuff but it's for a short amount of time, and the rest of the day, they have it together, and Zayn couldn't have it any way better. He got his husband back.

And it was one of those days that Liam took him out, just to enjoy themselves. Money _does_ come in handy at these situations. They were having dinner at the same restaurant Louis is working at. Zayn hadn't spoken to Louis since that encounter in Bali, and he's sure that Louis got a word of it, he just doesn't know how he'd have thought of him, but it must've been bad.

He sees him. It's not his shift but he's here. When the waitress come to deliver their food Zayn asks about Louis.

"He's working extra hours to help a friend"

"A friend?" Zayn asks.

"I think I heard him talk to someone named Harry? But I really don't know, he didn't say anything. Just needed extra cash" she shrugs walking away.

"What are you thinking of?" Liam asks quietly. He knows Harry, have met him before.

"He didn't say anything" Zayn frowns. Harry hadn't talked to him that much since he got back with Liam. And it isn't Harry's fault really, it's more Zayn's fault. Zayn hadn't been calling, texting or meeting Harry properly for the last 2 weeks and he feels bad that he hadn't known that Harry is in need. And what's worse is that he knows Harry talks about his personal life freely with his friends, and he was one of them. _Was_. The realization slaps him hard on the face. He had abandoned his friends right where they needed him. He feels _awful_.

"Can I ask for a favor?"

"Anything for you, babe" Liam replies smiling.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry snaps out of his thoughts when he hears a car horn beeping without a stop, obviously annoyed the other people walking by. He looks towards the voice's direction and he sees a familiar car. He sighs pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on walking towards the car.

"Get in" Zayn says opening the door for him.

"Where to?" Harry didn't mean for his voice so come as hoarse as it is so he clears his throat afterwards.

"Just get in, Harry" Harry sighs and follow's Zayn's order. He has to admit though, it's a _very_ nice car.

Zayn doesn't move from his parking place, just turns at Harry, "Why didn't you tell me?" He asks quietly.

Harry is still staring forwards. Because it _hurts_. Being with someone he _can't have_. And other stuff too. Those past two weeks had been _hell_ to him, everything is going wrong, like the universe _hates_ him.

"Tell you what exactly?" It's the same monochrome tone that Zayn's heart _ache_ to hear.

"Harry" he pushes his hair back, "I know I've distanced myself those past weeks, and you have every right to be mad at me, and trust me I _hate_ myself for it, I've never thought that I could be …" he pauses looking down, "The one who leaves" he says in a tone barely audible.

Harry leans back in his seat closing his eyes but he doesn’t speak so Zayn goes on. "I know about your mother" that gets his attention and he turns to look at Zayn.

"How did you-"

"Liam knows people" He interrupts Harry. "You don't have to worry anymore" he smiles, "I've paid for it-"

"No, Zayn. I've never asked you to-"

"Also" Zayn carries on ignoring Harry's protests, "I got you a plane ticket" He hands him an envelope, "Please" Harry sighs taking the envelope. "You don't have to pay me back, money is something that is available to us like water, seriously. And I don't even deserve a thank you" he beams at Harry, "It's what friends are for, yeah?"

Zayn turns in his seat to turn on the engine, driving to Harry's apartment. "One last thing before you go" Zayn places his hands on Harry's thigh before he gets out of the car. "Just know I'm always here for you. _Always_ " And Harry wants to smile at Zayn's kindness but his heart doesn't allow him to. Zayn's happy, he _should_ be happy for him, but he settles for a nod then leaves.

Zayn stays in the car after Harry's gone for a while. Harry hadn't talked to him like he used to, and he knows better. Harry is sad because his mother is sick, but he also knows that Harry is sad because of _something else_. Something that has to do with him and Liam.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn kept in touch with Harry during his time away, making sure he's okay, being a good friend like he's _supposed_ to be, trying to catch up what he missed. Harry was not gone for long, and he slowly started getting back to his old self.

He also paid for his flight back home, although Harry protested too many times that he doesn't need his money and he'd be good on his own, but Zayn already prepared for everything and Harry eventually gave up and accepted his offer.

When he got off the plane, he wasn't expecting Zayn to wait for him at the airport, Zayn didn't tell him that he would, but it was good to know that he still cares, even if he's stuck at the friend zone -for the meanwhile- _That was horrible to think about_.

Zayn noticed him and smiled widely walking towards him, Harry chuckled meeting him half way. "Welcome back"

"Thanks … for everything" Zayn shook his head leading Harry out.

"So, how's she?"

"Great. She's taking her medicines, and the doctors say she's doing much better" He gets in the car with Zayn. _Damn his luxuries_. Zayn smiles at him.

"Glad to hear that" Zayn took a turn and Harry knows it's _not_ his way home.

"Where are we going?"

Zayn smiled glancing at Harry, "Mine"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You live in a fucking mansion?" Harry gaped at the house in front of him.

Zayn parked his car inside next to many others that Harry had to admire as well. He turned to Harry with a nervous look before he gets out of the car. "I'm not like … showing off or anything, I swear. I just wanted-"

"Zayn" Harry cuts him off, "I know you" he offered a genuine smile making Zayn release a sigh of relief then getting out of the car leading Harry to the front door, Harry following behind.

"So, um. I just figured you'd be hungry, and you'd be tired to make anything, so …" he lead Harry to a table filled with all sorts of food, "I didn't know exactly what you'd want" he mumbled, "Just dig in!"

Harry is sure he won't get used to Zayn spoiling him like that, but he is hungry so he does what he's told. Zayn sitting next to him, but not eating much. He also told Harry not to eat too much, leading him out of the dining room and into another.

"You have an indoor pool? Of course you'd have an indoor pool" Harry mumbled following Zayn to another attached room.

"Here" Zayn hands him a swimming trunk, "I guess that's the right size" he says glancing down at Harry. "Get changed and I'll wait outside" he says walking away. Harry does change and the trunk fits him well. He doesn't complain, it's been a while since he'd gone swimming, and it's like Zayn is reading his mind.

Once he's out he doesn't see Zayn but he walks to the edge of the pool waiting for him. He doesn't get to glance around as he's being pushed from behind and into the water. Once he surfaces he sees Zayn laughing at him. He smirks moving closer to the edge and pulling Zayn's leg so he falls as well with him.

Zayn glares at him once he surfaces as well pushing his damp hair off his face, "I could've drown you idiot" Harry raises an eyebrow and Zayn chuckles diving into the water and circling Harry then swims away.

"It's relaxing. I thought you'd like it" Harry is floating on his back closing his eyes enjoying the warm water around him as Zayn approaches. He hums.

"What time is it? I feel like I've been here forever" Harry opens his eyes adjusting his position.

"You want to leave?" Zayn asks quietly.

"I just don't want to bother you …"

"You're not bothering me Harry" Zayn rolls his eyes getting closer with a smile on his face. "We can just get out and do something else if you're bored" he offers, then moves backwards.

Harry follows, "I'm fine with whatever you want" Zayn smiles and bites his lip as Harry approaches him. They keep staring at each other and Harry watches as Zayn's eyes drift to his lips for a second, and he got Zayn basically cornered and it'd be so easy to just lean in and-

"Having fun I see"

Harry quickly leans back and Zayn spins around. "Liam? I haven't heard you coming-"

"You were too busy to notice?" he glances at Harry and keeps a hard glare on. His gaze softens a bit once he turns to Zayn and he offers his hands for him to get out. Zayn takes it and Liam immediately wraps an arm around his waist.

Harry curses himself and turns away. Zayn is _married_ , he needs to carve this in his mind. Zayn is _not_ his.

Zayn looks up at Liam with wide eyes so Liam's gaze softens and he pecks him on the lips, "Sorry, babe. Was just stressed" he whispers against Zayn's lips and Zayn smiles placing his hands on Liam's chest. Liam leans in for a deep kiss and Zayn completely forgets about Harry being there with them. Once Liam's hands move to his ass he gasps and pulls away fiercely blushing. He gives Liam a warning look but Liam just sighs retreating his hands.

Harry is already out with a towel, and Zayn walks to him, "Sorry, uh … it's just-"

"No, I'm supposed to be the one apologizing. This is your home, you're married and I shouldn’t be here" He quickly turns around but Zayn frowns, he was about to follow him and tell him that it was fine, but Liam grabs his arms.

"I guess it was my fault. I'll talk to him, you go change" Liam smiles at him so Zayn nods. Although it doesn't seem like a good idea, but it can't go _that_ wrong … right?

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You like him"

Harry doesn't turn. He knows that Liam is jealous and he has the right to. He almost kissed _his husband_.

"Nothing happened between us. And He loves _you_ " he throws his t-shirt on quickly, "Zayn is a loyal one, you have nothing to worry about" he turns to leave but Liam blocks his way.

"I know Zayn. But I don't trust _you_ " Harry sighs pushing his hair backwards. "Don't push your luck. You don't know _me_ " Liam continues in a calm tone.

Harry stares at him then furrows his brows, "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just saying to know your place. You can't have what's out of your league"

Harry shakes his head, "You should really work on _keeping_ him instead of pushing other people away. He's not the type to jump on anyone. You're just giving him reasons to-"

"You're not going to be the one lecturing me about _my husband_. I've known him for ages" Liam takes a step closer.

"Really? Cause it seems like you know nothing at all" Harry also takes a step forward. He's not afraid of Liam or what he's capable of. And he knows that every word he said was true, and it hurts him that it _is_. Zayn deserves better.

"Liam!" Zayn gets between them pushing them apart, "I'll talk to you later" he then turns to Harry grabbing his wrist and leading him out.

"I can just ask for a driver to …" Liam sighs. Zayn just ignores him throwing a glare before he's out of the room completely.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You don't have to-"

"Shut up and just get inside" Harry sighs getting inside the car.

"I'm sorry about Liam. He gets … overprotective sometimes"

"Has the right to" Harry mumbles looking outside the window as Zayn drives.

Zayn rolls his eyes, "I'll make it up to you, I promise. Just pick up a date and we'll hang out wherever you wanna go"

"I don't think Liam would-"

"Liam doesn't control my life, Harry. And you're a friend. I'm not pushing you away, and he can't push you away either" he turns to Harry once he's parked in front of his building.

"I don't want to cause any trouble between you two-"

"You're not" Zayn offers a comforting smile. "I'll keep in touch" he assures Harry as he gets out of the car, "Good night!" he calls after him and Harry waves back.

Harry has done nothing but good to him and he is surely not pushing him away for a simple mistake that _didn't_ even occur. He's a good guy, and he is _not_ losing him.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Weeks pass by, his relationship with Louis got back to its normal status, and Harry was also being himself. What changed is Liam's schedule. He started having more work to do, and Zayn was fine with it at first, until the one he hired couldn't handle the job well and Liam had to takeover for a while. Zayn was also alright with that, it was temporary. But when it took longer than necessary, he started to worry. Liam was turning to his old self and he didn't want him to. Things were going great, he was finally having his husband back, but no, it just had to go wrong.

And that's why Zayn was having many thoughts while laying on their bed at midnight. He tried calling Liam and texting him but he didn't answer so he went to sleep _alone_. When he woke up to a _still_ empty bed for over a week now, he made a decision. _He's had enough_.

He drove to Liam's company to confront him, maybe talking with him would bring him back to his sanity, maybe if he realized what he's going to lose he'll back off again.

"Excuse me, where do you think yourself going?" He turns to see Liam's assistant looking him up and down in a _disapproving_ look.

"I'm here to see _my husband_ " Zayn states simply.

"Keep your voice down, people are hearing. Mr. Payne is at a meeting right now, you can't see him" she whispers making Zayn blink at her. Is Liam _embarrassed_ of him? No, he'd been here before and he didn't receive such treatment. He looks down at himself, he's still wearing his sweats with a hoodie, nothing to be ashamed of, it's not like he's naked.

Zayn pushes past her, "I don't care if he has a fucking meeting!" he says more loudly making his assistant motions for the security to stop him. He looks back at her with disbelief, "Are you kicking me out? I can get you fired!"

"Mr. Payne won't get rid of me just because _you_ told him so. He cares for this company, and he won't let it fall. And I'm helping in that. Nice try, honey" she fakes a smile, "Now if you wouldn't mind leaving quietly, or you'd be forced to"

Zayn knows it's futile to fight against the security, and even if he made a scene it's still worthless, because at the end of the day, he knows what she says is true. Liam does care for his company, and no matter how many times he tries, Liam will never leave his job.

"When he's done with his busy schedule. Tell him that he lost his fucking marriage" Zayn spits as he takes off his ring throwing it away not caring where it falls. _He's had enough_.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Harry isn't surprised when he finds a wet Zayn at his door at 2 am_. He doesn't have to guess to know it's _Liam_ , and the fact that Zayn isn't wearing his ring tells him that something big happened. And it hurts to know that he already figured what Niall said was _true_. What they had was a paradise, but it soon crumbles down, leaving Zayn in a _worse_ state than before. At least he isn’t crying, he's just looking up at Harry from behind his lashes with an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I know it's not an appropriate time but" he looks down, "Niall would definitely yell at me so I have no other place to stay" he mumbles in a tone that's barely audible but in the calm of the night, Harry heard him clearly. And he doesn't blame Zayn for not wanting to go to Niall, it hurts a bit to know that he's a second option, but he knows that Zayn wouldn’t want to disturb him. He also doesn't want Niall to yell at Zayn giving him the _'I told you so'_ speech, so he steps aside letting Zayn in.

He goes to grab some clean clothes for Zayn who takes them with a genuine smile muttering a 'thank you' before he disappears into the bathroom. Harry rubs his hands over his face. Zayn doesn't deserve this. If Zayn was ever his, he would never do that to him. Liam wouldn't realize what he's losing until he loses it. And Harry needs to show Zayn that. He needs to show him that Liam is never going to change, he hadn't done that in a long time, and apparently he's not doing it any time sooner.

"I'll just take the couch" Zayn announces as he gets out of the bathroom.

"No, you're tired-"

"I'm basically disturbing you, Harry" he chuckles pulling an extra cover and heading out of the room. Harry wants to protest but Zayn isn't letting him to so he gets back to his bed. He'll try talking to him in the morning.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Zayn couldn't sleep_. The couch isn't comfortable, but that's not what's bothering him the most. The fact that Liam still hadn’t even tried to reach him hurts so badly like his whole body is tearing apart. _Liam doesn't care_.

He didn't feel his tears until a big stain covered the pillow he's laying his head on so he sits up rubbing his eyes with his sleeves. All that he wanted was a normal life, someone to be with him, _is he asking for too much?_

He stays awake like this for another hour until his eyes hurt too much from the continuous rubbing at it so he gets up. He wanders around the small apartment, running his hands on the surfaces. His hands catch dust and he chuckles, the servants at his home would always clean up daily. His _previous_ home though.

Harry left his door open so he allows himself to get inside sitting on the spare space Harry isn't using. His hair is covering his face, and he's lying on his side so Zayn can't really see his face.

"Have you ever felt like this Harry?" he whispers, "Like you're too tired to even try? Like what's the point?" he hears his own voice shaking but he carries on. "I'm not a crazy person, Harry. I usually don't talk to myself but … I just-" he chokes on a sob. "It fucking hurts" he lets the tears run down his face again.

He takes deep breathes trying to calm himself down. "I'm not asking for a perfect paradise where you can have whatever you want. I'm just asking for someone … someone who can stay. Someone who cares enough, someone who wouldn't turn his back on me, someone who would listen, someone …" he pauses looking down at Harry. "Someone like you"

 _Harry heard_. He couldn't sleep hearing Zayn's crying and he was about to go comfort him when he started talking. And Harry didn't want to interrupt him, Zayn rarely spoke about his feelings and he was not going to break his moment, he didn't want to scare Zayn away so he let him go on with his rambling. But his last statement made his hear beat so loudly in his chest and it's taking all his strength not to turn, hug Zayn and kiss him.

Zayn does turn to Harry's other side so he can face him and he leans forward and he's so close to Harry's face then he pulls back suddenly. He walks away quickly getting out of the room. And Harry releases a breath he didn't even know he kept. He'd probably have gone out of control if Zayn kissed him.

Zayn on the other side is trying to put his mind together. Harry is a good person, anyone who'd have him would be so lucky that he already envies them. But he's married. Legally. And he isn’t a cheater. Not even if Liam isn't paying much attention to him. And right on cue, he hears faint knocking on the door.

He opens it to see the devil himself. "Knew I'd find you here"

"Without you tracking me? I'm impressed" Zayn replies sarcastically.

Liam takes something out of his pocket and opens his hands to reveal Zayn's ring, "Oh, I thought that bitch took it" Liam opens his mouth to speak but Zayn doesn't allow him to, "I don't want it"

"Zayn-"

"I don't want you" Liam stops at that staring at Zayn for a while. "I've given you a chance and you ruined it"

"But-"

"I'm tired of this!" Zayn yells, his eyes are burning with more tears threatening to fall. "You're married to your fucking company, Liam. Not me!"

"That's not true, babe. Let me just-"

"Talk?" Zayn asks more calmly. "You've done that before. Look around you, Liam. It doesn't work. _We_ don't work"

"Zayn, you're not thinking straight-"

"No. I'm actually thinking straight for the first time in my life" He takes a deep breath, "I'll send the divorce papers to your office next thing in the morning and I expect you to sign them"

"Zayn, don't-"

"Do it for my sake, Liam" a tear escapes and Liam quickly tries to get to Zayn but he steps backwards. "We've been trying for too long. No, wait. _I_ have been trying for too long. You were not putting an effort-"

"Not putting an effort?" Liam raises his voice, "Zayn I've given you the world!"

"I never asked you to!" Zayn shouts back. "I've never asked for anything more than _you_ " his voice starts to break again, "But you wouldn't give me that"

"So, Harry is putting this in your mind? You are getting inside his pants now?" Zayn slaps him.

"How dare you?!" Liam looks back at him, "You have no right in calling me that when you know for sure that I'd never cheat on you!" Zayn pauses to wipe his tears away, "Right. You don't even know me, Liam. Get out"

"This is not over" Liam glances behind Zayn to find Harry standing there. He turns his gaze to Zayn, "You don't realize what you're doing" Zayn glares at him as he turns to grab his things shoving them at Liam.

"You don't own me. Not anymore" Liam grits his teeth but doesn't reply as Zayn closes the door in his face. Zayn closes his eyes to try to register what just happened. Liam yelled at him, which was a first. He's asking for a divorce, which isn’t a first but it's nothing to brag about, it's a horrible turn in his life.

Zayn feels Harry's arms around him and he turns to cry over his chest. And it just feels _right_.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _One more time, I'll ask why_  
_You let me waste all those nights_  
 _Had I known, I'd have not let you step into my life_  
 _We both know that I tried not to leave it all behind_  
 _Even though I explain you still read between the lines_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

**A/N**

**I just made a Tumblr if you want to talk to me there. You'll find the link under my profile.**


	7. Ch.06

_When I lay with you, I could stay there_  
_Close my eyes, Feel you here forever_  
_You and me together, Nothing gets better_

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Zayn fell asleep in Harry's arms last night so he wasn't surprised when he woke up in Harry's bed. He still feels bad for burdening Harry with all of this though so he decided to do something nice for him as a thank you.

He got up quietly not wanting to wake Harry up and sneaked into the kitchen. Maybe preparing breakfast would be a start. Although he found himself completely out of place inside the kitchen. He never cooked before, not even an _egg_.

When he was young, his family got into a horrible accident and he was the only survivor. He was taken by foster parents and they were rich. He didn't have to do anything other than attend to his studies. It wasn't something new when he married Liam, who was also rich.

He opened the fridge to find something he can possibly cook, something isn't complicated. Maybe sandwiches would be just fine, something that he doesn't need to use 'fire' to make.

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 _Harry wakes up to the smell of smoke_. He frowns at first then gets up suddenly from his place on the couch and quickly runs into the kitchen. He releases a sigh of relief that his kitchen isn't burning down, but other stuff have taken the color black and it's not good. He turns to look to Zayn who's avoiding his eyes, obviously _nervous_.

"Look, I was just trying to make you breakfast, but it … didn't go well. I'll clean it up! I promise! I'll even order some-" he turns around then frowns. He gave everything he came with to Liam, so he has absolutely _nothing_. "Sorry" he looks down.

Harry shakes his head, "It's okay. Just don't try to cook anything else" he glances at the clock to find that he still got time to make a _decent_ breakfast for both of them, have a shower and get to his work on time. Zayn tries to help him, but Harry tells him to just sit and do _nothing_. It's actually better if he wants to reduce the losses.

"I think I should get a job" Zayn starts.

Harry sighs, "Why would you want to get a job?"

"Harry, I'm broke, I have to place to stay, and basically alone"

"You're not alone" Harry frowns, "You still got Niall, Louis, me. And you do have a place to stay-"

"I'm not going back, Harry!"

"Zayn" he sits back in his chair, "You should think about what you're doing. This is a life decision, and I don't think you're thinking straight" he says slowly not wanting to push Zayn's buttons.

Zayn blinks at him then looks down at his plate, "Thanks" he knows Harry cares about him, that he's basically stepping on his own feelings to help him, and he doesn’t want Harry to feel this way, but it appears that anything he does still leads to everyone hurting.

Harry smiles at him and continues his breakfast.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn stays home doing nothing, he's too afraid he'll break something if he tried to help around the apartment, so he settles for nothing. He can still see his car parked in front of the building but he doesn't have his keys so it's useless. The door's bell startles him and he goes to open it.

"Mr. Payne" a guy smiles at him. Zayn wants to correct him, that his last name _isn’t_ Payne anymore, but the divorce isn't final until Liam signs the papers, then there'll be court dates. So he just nods at the guy. He hands him a box then leaves. Zayn looks at the box with confusion, he notices a card attached to it and he flips it to read who's the sender. Of course it's from _Liam_.

He gets back into the apartment and closes the door behind him. He sits on the couch with the box on his lap and he stares at it for a long moment before he opens it. He finds his clothes that he gave Liam last night, his wallet, and his keys. He picks them up setting them next to him. There's an album inside the box as well so he takes it and sets the box on the floor.

The cover has 'Us' written on it and he opens the album. At the first page is Liam's handwriting _'Green, cuz it's your favorite color'_ He smiles turning the page. There is a photo of Liam's old house when he used to live with his parents, specifically the fire place. _'Do you remember that night? When we had a party and all of our friends were there. Then we played this game of guessing, and we'd complete each other sentences that people started calling us soul mates'_ That earns another smile from Zayn as he turns the page.

Next was a photo of him and Liam, a selfie. _'Do you remember that day? When you were too worried that your hair style got ruined and we didn't have any mirrors, we were near a lake and your phone battery died so you borrowed mine. You didn't realize that you turned on the video mode. You also didn't realize the way I was looking at you back then. It wasn't the first time, I was already in love with you'_ Zayn actually didn't realize that until now that he sees that photo that was taken from the video.

He turns the page and stops for a while. Liam didn't need to caption this, because Zayn could tell what exact memory they shared at that place. _'The place was indeed magical like you described it. But nothing could compare to you standing in the middle of it all. Beautiful as always'_ Their first kiss.

He turns the page again and bites his lip. _'I don't really need to remind you of that. But to me, it's always special. You're always special'_ It was Zayn's bedroom. The night when his foster parents weren't home and they got too intimate with each other. It wasn't Zayn's first, but Liam was very good.

He turns the page again and pauses. _'You might not know this, but I was too nervous to say it. It was a big step, but it was you. And there was nothing more that I wanted in life'_ Liam proposed to him at that place.

He turns the page and a tear falls on his cheek, _'You insisted on picking white lilies, and I wasn't going to protest, white was a good match with your skin. I wasn't going to say no to you anyway'_ Their wedding day. Liam allowed him to arrange the place however he wanted agreeing to everything he asked for saying it should be a pleasant memory for them to remember afterwards. But it isn't. They were getting a divorce. And the memory hurts.

He turns the page again and finds a drawing of a ring, his ring. Now that he noticed, Liam didn't return his ring. _'Zayn Javaad Malik. Would you marry me, again?'_ Zayn sighs closing the album. On the back cover there's an arrow pointing forward and he follows the arrow to land on the door. He takes back what he said before, Liam does know him very well.

He gets up placing the album aside and he hesitates before opening the door but when he does. Liam _is_ there. Things aren't back to normal, Liam might have spent the while night making that album but it doesn't fix his broken heart. Zayn might've been blinded by love, but he can't just get back to Liam like that.

"I wanted to apologize for last night. I wasn't supposed to yell at you. And I apologize for every time I made you cry when I wasn't there to see it. I apologize for every time I let you down. And I know words doesn't fix anything, but I'm still madly in love with you … Zayn I can't let you go" Zayn notices Liam's eyes are red, there are bags under his eyes, and he looks tired. More tired than he'd ever seen him.

Zayn takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a second, "I can't, Liam" he opens his eyes once more. "We make up and break up more than we should … And I'm tired. It doesn't work"

"Baby-"

"I still love you. And I know you still love me. But we can't Liam. Our paths don't cross. You have more important things to do, and you're not giving them up, because it's what you live for. And I have my own" Liam opens his mouth to speak up but Zayn shakes his head, "Love isn't enough. What we have isn't a marriage, Liam, and you know it. There are more than just feelings that gets stuck on the way"

Liam stays quiet, he knows what Zayn is saying is true, but he can't just let him go. "You're my rock, Zayn. I can't live without you!"

Zayn takes another deep breath, "Staying with you _hurts_ me, Liam. I'm breaking piece by piece until there's nothing more to break" a sob escapes his mouth, "I'm asking you to let me go"

"But-"

"You want to have a lifeless partner, Liam?"

"No, but-"

"Then sign the papers. I don't want anything. I'm stepping out of your way" Liam takes a step back and Zayn can actually see tears in his eyes. He knows Zayn is serious but he's his everything.

"Just give me time" he manages to say and Zayn nods, "We both need it" Zayn replies. Liam walks away and Zayn closes the door behind him. He can't help the tears falling on his face, he can't help the pain in his chest. At least he knows that Liam is on the same page for once, they're both hurting, but they can't keep going on. Their relationship is far from ruined.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry stumbles into someone in the street as he walks home.

"Sorry!" he says quickly turning to see the guy. "Niall?"

Niall isn't shocked to see him but he nods at him. "Still alive. Good"

Harry raises his eyebrows, "Still _alive_?"

Niall sighs and drags Harry to the side so they won't be in someone else's way. "Just be careful"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Harry grabs Niall's arms to stop him from leaving.

Niall stares at him for a while then speaks up, "Liam doesn't like to share, Harry. Not when it comes to something … or _someone_ close to him"

Harry rolls his eyes, "Niall, this isn't the first time they have a fight-"

"Are you blind?" Harry looks at him in confusion, "God. I swear both of you are stupid" he mumbles, "Zayn told me about your little _episode_ with Liam" Harry sighs and shakes his head.

"Why would it be any different? I mean, Zayn previously came to you, and you're still walking on this earth"

"I'm a _friend_ " Harry furrows his brows, "Liam wouldn't come after you unless he thinks you're a _threat_. And I'm not talking about _your_ feelings for Zayn" Harry is still giving him a confused look so he continues, "Zayn likes _you_ "

"You're mistaken" Harry chuckles.

"Liam _will_ be coming after you, Harry. And he's capable of doing so much damage to your life" And with that Niall leaves. Harry stares after him, he knows Liam is capable of things, but Zayn doesn't like him that way. No, Zayn _does_ have feeling for him, but it's messed up, the whole situation is messed up. And why didn't Niall tell him how to at least avoid Liam? Right. He _can't_.

"Fuck!"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry opens the door to his apartment with a heavy feeling in his chest. He was having a perfectly normal life until those hazel eyes came in view. Well, it isn't that bad as he looks into those hazel eyes, a soft smile on the face of who they belong to. And how can Liam just _break_ that smile? How could he break such a beautiful _person_? It isn't fair how he gets to have everything he wants. Harry forces a smile out as he takes off his shoes.

"So, I guess you're hungry?" Zayn asks quietly from behind Harry.

Harry tenses and turns to Zayn, "Please tell me that you didn’t get inside the kitchen"

Zayn frowns, "No" then sighs, "I ordered food" It's Harry's turn to furrow his brows in confusion, "I got my stuff back, so you know. Why not make use of what I have while I have it?" Zayn leans back and goes back to the kitchen.

Harry follows him, "You got your stuff back?" the 'while I have it part' still assures him that things aren't alright between the couple but he still has an uneasy feeling in his chest.

Zayn bites his lip, "Liam came" then he takes a deep breath, "Can we just eat?" he whines. Harry gets the hint. Zayn doesn't want to talk about it so he drops the subject. Zayn also bought whine and Harry was barely having his first glass while Zayn is at his fourth.

"You might wanna slow down" Harry says concerned. Zayn is having more drinks than necessary and Harry knows why but he doesn't want Zayn to end up crying again.

"Did you know that my last name is actually Malik?" Zayn asks instead.

"That's … great" he doesn't really know what to do with that information but he doesn’t like how Zayn continues to drink. He snatches the bottle away from him making Zayn whine, "You've had enough" he says sharply and Zayn pouts.

"Mean" Zayn mumbles. Harry puts the bottle away but Zayn sees him anyway. "I bought that! Which means it's mine!" he snaps at Harry.

"Doesn't mean I'll let you hurt yourself"

"Too late" Zayn mumbles and Harry doesn't question it. They hear a song being played by their neighbor and it's too loud. Zayn's head pop up and he smiles, "I know this song, it's one of my favorites. We used to-" he cuts himself and his expression changes into something sad. Harry doesn't comment on that either, he knows it has something to do with Liam, so he keeps his mouth shut.

He turns to Zayn once more to find him staring back, slowly blinking at him. Harry doesn't keep his stare and goes to clean up their leftovers. Zayn keeps watching him until he snaps out of it and gets up to help as well. God, he seems rude. He stumbles on his way and breaks a plate. This was a simple task and yet he's truly amazed at his ability of turning anything he does into a mess. _Perfect_.

Harry just sighs and orders Zayn out of the kitchen. He walks towards the couch and flops on it. The box is still there, the album is still there and he might be a bit drunk but his body can still function somehow. He picks the album and places it inside the box. He doesn't want to open it and have a round of tears once more.

Harry follows after a while and he notices Zayn's things placed on the table, only his phone is moved aside. He also notices the box and he glances at Zayn who's closing his eyes then back at the box. He picks the album and opens it. He realizes it's from Liam, and he can understand that those are their memories shared together.

"A memory is a past" Zayn starts looking up at Harry from his position on the couch. "Time helps forgetting about them, yeah?"

"Not all" Harry answers closing the album and placing it back inside the box, pushing it aside and sitting down next to Zayn.

Zayn sits up properly, "Have you ever been in a relationship that ended badly?"

"Many" Harry answers.

Zayn frowns, "How did you move on?"

Harry turns his head to look at him, "Just figured we weren't meant to be"

"That easy?"

"It's not easy" Harry chuckles turning his head away, "Things … take time"

They stay quiet for another long moment until Zayn speaks up, "You think I can move on?" Harry turns to look at him again.

"Do you want to?" Zayn stares at him for a minute and he shuffles closer to Harry, and all that Harry could think of at that moment is _'someone like you'_

"I … don't know" Zayn answers truthfully. Harry nods at him getting up. Zayn is drunk, he's not thinking straight, and they shouldn't be that close. "Where are you going?" Zayn pulls at his arms, and before Harry can talk he speaks again, "Stay … Please?" Harry sighs and sits back, and Zayn snuggles closer to him but he's not smiling, neither of them are.

Niall's words keep running through his head until Zayn's moves to his lap. He's startled for a second as Zayn's lips touch his and it's a light one, something experimentally, like he's not sure if it's right or wrong. Harry has to remind himself that Zayn is _drunk_ so he gently pushes him away, "Zayn, what are you doing?"

"Moving on" but it doesn't come as confident, like he himself _doesn't know_.

Harry shakes his head, "Zayn, you are not-"

"Thinking straight?" Zayn finished for him but he doesn’t move. "I can't not. You're here and it's hard" Again, Zayn's words find their way into Harry's mind, _'someone like you'_

"You'll regret this in the morning-"

"I'm not that drunk, Harry" And he isn't lying, he's slowly sobering up and he can _actually_ see clearly for once. Harry is there for him, always have, always will. The one person that is actually _helping_ him, not in that harsh way Niall is using. He's approaching Zayn like he's made of glass, like he's something unique. But he can't help but think of what will go _wrong_. Liam had been the perfect match for him and he drifted away. He can't help but think the same for Harry.

"I'm scared" He whispers clutching Harry's shirt tightly. Harry isn't like Liam, he knows that part for sure, but his heart is telling him otherwise. "It's like you said. It's not easy, Harry" he buries his face in Harry's neck and Harry could feel the tears.

Harry slowly puts his hands on Zayn's shoulders to pull him away. He _does_ want Zayn, wants to kiss him right now, wants to hold him forever, but Zayn is _still_ having troubles figuring out what he wants, _who_ he wants, and Harry doesn't want an ending where they don't _even_ begin, for both of them.

"Zayn, I want you to think before you act" He cuts him before he starts to protest, "I'll _still_ be here for you whatever your decision is. I'm your friend, _always_ will be" he offers an assuring smile and Zayn sighs wiping his tears away.

How on earth had his previous relationships gone _wrong_? Harry is so _perfect_ that he knows he doesn’t deserve someone like himself. But he's glad. He knows Harry has feelings for him, and he's glad that Harry's previous relationships didn't go well, because he gets to …

He slowly gets up looking down at Harry. _How can he be so blind?_ All this time he'd been missing the _obvious truth_. Niall was _right_ , "I'm falling in love with you"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Sometimes I wake up by the door_  
_That heart you caught must be waiting for you_  
_Even now when we're already over_  
_I can't help myself from looking for you_


	8. Ch.07

_The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood_  
_You're my downfall, you're my muse_  
 _My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues_  
 _I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you_

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"I'm full aware of what I've said yesterday, and I _meant_ it"

Harry closes his eyes for a second. Last night he didn't reply to Zayn. He _couldn't_. Didn't know how to put everything together when it's falling down on him so fast. He thought Zayn was mainly drunk and he left the bed for Zayn -again- while he took the couch.

He wants to believe him, but he knows how things are between Zayn and Liam, on and off all the time. And he hates how Liam made Zayn so fragile, that he can't even direct his feelings properly, that he's already so shattered. But above all, how he doesn't even seem to care enough of what he claims to have feelings for.

Harry opens his eyes to look at Zayn, "I know. But you're still attached to him, and I can't force you to choose. You have already too much on your plate. I don't want to add more" then he leaves the apartment. Zayn sighs flopping on the couch with his head in his hands. _'Still attached'_

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 _Harry should've taken Niall's words seriously_. He didn't expect it to happen this soon, but it did. Once he stepped inside the company's building, he was summoned to the manager's office. Weird enough, the manager himself wasn't there to meet him. He simply walked away from the office when Harry got there. Liam was sitting on a chair smiling an insincere smile.

"Sit" Harry sighed heavily then sat down on the opposite chair facing Liam.

"Listen, Harry. We both know why I'm here, so let's get down to the subject" Liam leaned forward in his chair. "Leave him" Harry blinked at him.

"You want me to _kick him out?_ Leave him to live on the _streets_?"

"Of course not" Liam gave him an annoyed look, "I've already provided him an alternative place to stay at. That until he calms down and comes back _home_ "

Harry takes a deep breath, "Listen, Liam" mimicking Liam's earlier tone, "I'm not forcing him to do something he doesn't want to, and I suggest that you don't either"

"You don't tell me what I do"

"If you care about him you would"

"I do care about him! You know nothing about us!" Liam says through gritted teeth.

"And then what? Leave him _alone_ in some house? To get back later to another _abandoned_ house? What's the use? Can't you see that he's _not_ okay?" Harry raises his voice.

But Liam knows. Staying with Harry would only make Zayn drift away _further_. He knows Zayn takes some time to get back to his senses, to get back to _him_ , that he always makes a fuss about Liam's job but he eventually comes back. Harry knows it too, knows that Zayn came back each time because his feelings for Liam didn't fade away, that still _exists_ to this day. But only because he's _afraid_ , his relationship had too many scars and he couldn't heal them because they re-open time after time, that he didn't trust anyone else anymore, that he already _gave up_ on love.

But now that he's slowly starting to see things differently, Harry is not going to let go of his efforts, he was not letting go of _Zayn_. Not when he finally got a hold of him. Time used to be in Liam's favor, but not anymore. As time goes by, Zayn starts to realize that Liam _isn't_ the right one for him, even if they'd been married for two years, even if they had been together for ages. Time is only a _number_ by now that doesn't mean that much to Zayn.

"He'd be okay once you leave him"

Harry shakes his head leaning back in his chair, "I'm not afraid of you"

"You should" Liam glares at him then leans back in his own chair slowly, "You're going to do what I say if you know what's good for you"

Harry snorts, "And if I didn't?"

Liam smirks, "You have a sick mother, Harry. I believe Zayn had paid for her treatment a while ago?" Harry stays silent so Liam's smirk grows "It's be a shame if her treatment stopped. Zayn might have paid for it, but it's still under _my_ name. The sources he used are _mine_ , and neither you nor him can stop me"

"I don't _need_ your fucking money, _never_ did. I can handle it my own"

"How? I can make you lose your job right this _instant_. And don't think about applying elsewhere, I can track you down. And believe me, I can make everyone fire you before you're even hired. Don't play with fire, Harry. You'll get _burnt_ "

Fuck Liam, and fuck his money. No wonder Zayn is drifting away. But Liam got him cornered. Liam puts a set of keys and a piece of paper on the table between them, "I expect him to be there by tomorrow" He stands up and leaves. Harry takes a deep breath leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. This is too much. He didn't apply for this.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"That bastard. That's why I hate all those rich bitches" Louis hisses.

"What do I do, Lou? I won't be able to pay for her treatment if I stopped working-"

"Actually, there are still some underground jobs" Harry glares at him, "Just saying"

"And you're saying that he can't get to me _there?_ Louis, rich people are the ones who keep them _running_ "

"Yeah, even the authorities can't help you in that" Louis sighs, "Just move him there, you can still go visit him, you know"

"Doubt it" Harry mumbles, "He doesn't deserve this, Louis" Harry sighs. Liam is breaking Zayn more and he's not sure if Zayn can take more damage than he already is.

"Harry, Zayn is just a guy. A _married_ one. He lived like this for two years, I think he already got used to this life. Your mother on the other hand, _needs_ you" Harry looks down. Zayn _did_ live like that for too long, but he can't force himself to put him back in that horrible situation once more, what would make him different? He'll be the cause of him hurting and the mere thought of it _hurts_ him. But Louis is also right, He can't cause the death of his own mother, the one that cared for him for his entire life.

He knows it isn't fair. That he's probably killing Zayn from the inside. But he'll find a way. He'll find a way.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"What?" Zayn blinked at Harry.

Harry came back home and took him to some house without talking so much. And now that he's inside, Harry is handing him the keys.

"You need … space. Like … alone. You know, to think about this whole … situation" Harry avoided his gaze and looked around the house.

"How did you get this?"

"Um, I've been saving up" Harry says slowly, not really knowing how to come up with a proper lie. "Look, I'll stay in touch, okay? Anything you need just call me" He walks quickly towards the door to avoid hearing more questions from Zayn and he's glad Zayn isn't following him. He doesn't want Zayn to think that he hates him, but Liam made it obvious that he wants Harry completely out of Zayn's life.

Zayn stares after him in confusion. He knows Harry is lying, and he's a _shit liar_. It doesn't take Zayn more than a minute to figure out that this is all Liam's doing. He quickly grabs his phone and car keys and heads out of the house.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Zayn heads to Liam's company and he's actually surprised when his assistant doesn't kick him out, instead she quickly gets inside a room interrupting the meeting to inform Liam about his arrival. He is even more surprised when Liam cancels the meeting to see him.

"Wow, I should be impressed, but unfortunately I'm not" he crosses his arms once Liam is in front of him. "What did you exactly tell Harry?" he keeps his calm tone and hard stare but Liam knits his eyebrows together.

"Why would I want to talk to Harry?"

"Liam, don't. Stop whatever you're doing. I know you said something to him … you threatened him!" he raises his voice at the last part, his eyes going wide.

"I did _not_ threat him. I simply asked him to move you to a better place, so you can live freely. Baby, I care about you, more than he'll ever will"

Zayn stares at him, Liam is _jealous_. And he knows Liam's jealousy is the worst side of Liam. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, "I'm not moving to that place" he can see Liam's hands close into fists but he doesn't flinch. Liam would never lay a hand on him, but he's not sure of what he did or was about to do to Harry. "And whatever you did or say to Harry, you better back off"

"Why do you care so much about him?"

"Why do you?" Zayn retorts. Liam doesn't reply so he keeps going, "When did you start to be like this, Liam?" he says more quietly. "Do you ever ask yourself when did it all go wrong? When did _we_ fall apart?"

"Zayn, I'm trying to fix this if you just gave me a chance-"

"I did give you a chance and you blew it. So don't you dare blame it on me"

"I'm not blaming you, Zayn. I'm just asking for another chance"

"Another chance to do what, Liam? To try acting all sweet then dumping me?"

"I never dumped you!"

Zayn rubs his temple, "Did you sign the papers?"

"Zayn, please, you're not thinking clearly"

Zayn gapes at him, "Obviously I'm some psycho to all of you! I'm a fucking adult! The hell is wrong with you?!"

"Zayn-"

"No, just stop!" he yells but Liam is quick to wrap his arms around him, "Get the hell away from me!"

"Zayn, please just calm down" Zayn glares at him for a while and Liam just stares at his eyes sitting him slowly on the chair and kneeling in front of him. "I'm sorry" Zayn doesn't reply so he carries on, "I went too far, and I promise you I won't do anything to Harry" _Harry_. The name that haunts him in his nightmares. "I just wanted you back, and I would do anything to have you again-"

"Have me?" Zayn chuckles bitterly. "Liam you had me for years but never made a step towards me. You were backing away, and you were losing me with each step-" Liam cuts him off by placing his lips on his.

"And I'm trying to get you back" he whispers against Zayn's lips before pulling back slightly to look into his eyes.

"Don't" Zayn whispers back, "Stop trying to get me back, Liam, because I'm not coming back"

"You still love me"

"I do" Zayn's voice breaks, "And it hurts" he pauses to stop the tears from running down, "It shouldn't, Liam" Liam stares into Zayn's eyes that shows too much hurt, too much sorrow, the tears that _he_ caused, the pain that _he_ was the source of it. And for the first time, Liam can actually see that Zayn is hurting not because Liam is gone, but because he is _here_. He wipes his tears with his thumb, his other hand goes around Zayn's waist.

"It shouldn't" he repeats, "I …" It's his turn to break, tears are running down his face which is now resting on Zayn's shoulders. Both arms are tightly secured around Zayn. "I'm sorry, Zayn. I never meant for this to happen!" Zayn lets him cry and hold him, resting his own head on Liam's.

Liam should've known. That Zayn's happy persona was slowly fading away, that he was putting an effort in living with a _broken soul_. He should've listened to Zayn's pleadings, he should've stayed, should've done plenty of stuff while he got the time. But it's too late. Zayn is already broken, and he isn't the one that can fix him.

He should've known when Zayn stopped talking to him about his life, when he suddenly knew that he was also going away meeting new people, having a new life, fixing his own self by his own when he started giving up on Liam. Should've known that Zayn is untying the rope connecting them together, that Zayn _still_ cares, _always_ will, but he can't move on. That Liam made him stuck to a place that he doesn't belong to, stuck to _someone_ he doesn't belong to.

He slowly pulls his head back up, his own teary eyes matching Zayn's, "You wouldn't come back even if I shut this company down, would you?"

Zayn looks down, "No. Sorry"

Liam nods with a weak smile, "I always seem to bring tears to your eyes" he pauses to take a shaky breath in, "But he makes you happy" Zayn's eyes go back to his again and he keeps his smile. "It's not easy, Zayn. Giving up on you"

"I know" Because it's never been easy on Zayn either, and Liam knows it now, can feel the same feeling in his chest, and he wonders how could Zayn live with that pain through the past years if it hurts like this. And it hurts him more to realize that now, that Zayn was putting up a fight he wasn't supposed to have, that he was hanging on a loose thread, that he was already facing too much and Liam only added to his burden, _each single day_. But Liam is hurting him if he kept on holding on to him, that Zayn would be better off without him, that he would heal properly away from him. But it still hurts to let him go, the love he has for him is _true_.

"I can't say I won't miss you" Zayn smiles a faint smile. "And I can't say that I will ever stop loving you" he swallows the lump forming in his throat, "I can't promise you I'll move on, that I will stop thinking about you. I can't forgive myself for it-"

"I do" Zayn interrupts him in a quiet voice, "I forgive you" Liam shakes his head, "It's moving on, Liam. You have to" Liam shakes his head again.

"I don't want to. Don’t even deserve to. My time to hurt, yeah?" he chuckles.

Zayn cups his face, "I don’t want you to hurt" Liam looks up at him, "But I caused you so much pain-" Zayn shakes his head with a smile, "Liam you've already earned a place inside my heart. The memories we shared are not going to fade away. I don't want them to"

Liam leans in to kiss him and Zayn kisses back. So much lost thoughts going through, so much pain, and they need it. They've had their moments. And it was _goodbye_. When they pull back Liam is the first to speak, "Be happy" he pauses, "For both of us"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry sees Zayn on the sidewalk when he gets off his work. He smiles softly once he sees Harry and Harry approaches him slowly, confused.

"A coincidence can fix a life" Zayn starts and Harry stays quiet, not really knowing where this is going. "People think that living here is inside the gloomy part of the city, but they don't understand what life really means" Zayn glances around, "I've been living in the darkness, Harry for far too long" then he looks back at him, "Until I met you" he smiles again and Harry's heart is already beating loudly in his chest. He doesn't know what happened with Zayn, he doesn't know if he should feel happy or worried about the fact that Zayn is actually speaking his mind.

"Harry, you opened my eyes. Made me see the life differently. Made me realize my own path instead of following others, or what they tell me to" neither of them move and Harry can't hear the people walking by, "There are people you meet that aren't meant to be in your life forever. That they come as a lesson, it’s just the way life is" he pauses for a second, "That maybe taking a step towards the unknown is better than what you already know. That an adventure is risky but you still have to take it. That you have to close your eyes to re-open them. That you have to see the worst so you can appreciate the good"

He takes a deep breath then continues, "That you have to close a door to open another" he chuckles, "I've never been the type to ramble, Harry" Harry smiles as well, "You and your stupid self made me like this" he looks up to meet Harry's eyes, the smile is still present at his face. "You and your beautiful self" he corrects, "I'm sure you've heard if before, but it's true. You're beautiful, Harry. Inside and out. There's a long list of good traits in you that I can't count" Harry smiles at that, he should be the one saying this about Zayn, "And I fell in love with you. With every part of you, with every good thing inside your heart, to every stupid joke you make with your brain, to the way your dimples show in your cheek when you smiles brightly. And I want to treasure you if you'd allow me to"

Harry stares at him so Zayn carries on, "The divorce is final. Me and Liam are officially over. And not just through papers. We've talked, and I'm happy to say that we're both on the same page for once. I'm not going to lie to you, Harry. Liam has been a big part of my life and I can't just erase him from my memory or my heart. But the past is in the past, and I want a future with you. I love _you_ , I want _you_. And you can have me if you want me too"

Harry doesn't wait for Zayn to say another word as he closes the distance between them, his hands go to cup Zayn's face and he kisses his desperately. Zayn kisses back just as desperate as Harry. Being here feels right. Being with Harry feels right. And they don't care if they're still on the sidewalk, if there are million eyes watching them, they only care about one another.

They both pull away breathlessly, "I want you in every way possible" he replies and they both smile widely. Harry's arms fall to wrap around Zayn's waist to hold him closer to himself as Zayn's arms wrap around Harry's neck. And Harry can't help himself from leaning in again, catching Zayn's lips in his own, because he _can_. Zayn is _his_ , and he couldn’t ask for more.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts_  
_Risking it all, though it's hard_  
 _Cause all of me, Loves all of you_  
 _Love your curves and all your edges_  
 _All your perfect imperfections_  
 _Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you_  
 _You're my end and my beginning_  
 _Even when I lose I'm winning_


	9. Epilogue

_Don't fall asleep_  
_At the wheel, we've got a million miles ahead of us_  
_Miles ahead of us, All that we need_  
_Is a rude awakening to know we're good enough_  
_Know we're good enough_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry wakes up to light kisses being placed on the back of his neck. He smiles and turns fluttering his eyes open. Zayn smiles and sits up, "Morning" he says softly. And Harry can _definitely_ wake up to this everyday.

Harry pushes his hair off his face backwards and mumbles a 'Morning' back. Zayn turns to his side and grabs a bowl of grapes. He is still looking down at Harry while eating "I thought you brought these to me" he pouts and Zayn smiles wider.

"Nope" but Harry is still pouting adorably at him so he chuckles grabbing one grape and putting it in his mouth. He leans in and Harry opens his mouth for him. Harry grabs him so he can kiss him more. After a while he lets go of Zayn who stands up leaving the bed.

"But I only got one grape!" Harry whines and Zayn chuckles.

"Get up!" he answers instead walking outside the bedroom. Harry pushes himself up, "I made you breakfast!" Harry stops and turns slowly to him.

"You didn’t-"

"No, I didn't cook. It's something simple" Zayn rolls his eyes, and Harry can see now that he's already dressed.

"You're going somewhere?"

"I'm meeting your sister in …" he glances at the clock, "Five minutes, which means I have to go" he walks to the door, " _You_ made me late" he mumbles and Harry smiles at that comment. "See ya!" he shouts as he closes the door. Harry stands there smiling for a couple of minutes then heads to the bathroom. Yes, he can _really_ get used to this.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"Mhmm. And what are you planning exactly?" she smirks.

"Something" Zayn replies blushing, "Just give me the recipe"

"I'll come over and help before he gets home. Make sure you don't _burn_ anything" Zayn rolls his eyes. "You're gonna add candles and stuff? I'd recommend you also get some roses" she sighs dreamily, "That would be so romantic" Zayn smiles.

The waiter comes to take their order and once he left Zayn's eyes caught something so he slowly turns and he is met by _Liam_ also looking up at that moment. Liam offers a small smile as the man he was with starts to leave. Liam gets up and walks to him.

He greets Harry's sister politely then turns to him, "Hey"

"Hey" Zayn replies offering a small smile himself.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Zayn glances to the girl sitting across from him who shrugs so he stands up, "Sure"

Liam leads him to another table. "So, how are you?" Liam starts.

"Good. You?"

"You want the truth?" Zayn sighs placing his arms on the table, "Not okay"

"You never come to this part of the city" Zayn changes the topic instead.

"Yeah. I'm making a business deal with this guy, and he happens to be originally from here. He asked if we could meet here, and I wasn't going to reject his request" Zayn smiles at that. Liam talking about his job used to make him sick. But he's happy that Liam is moving on, doing what he does best.

"Great. I'm glad to hear that" he says honestly. Liam smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes, and Zayn doesn't comment on that. A waiter comes to their table placing food and drinks on it, "Oh, we didn't-"

"I did" Liam interrupts him smiling at the waiter and thanking him.

"You didn't come here for a business deal, did you?"

Liam stays quiet for a moment then speaks up, "No … I wanted to see you"

"So you're stalking me now?" Zayn raises his eyebrows and Liam is quick to reply.

"No! I … I just missed you, and I-" Zayn crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair. "I just wanted to see you. I'm sorry if I did that, but it was the only way I could get to you-"

"You could've called"

"And you would allow me to?" Zayn looks down, "Exactly"

"What do you want, Liam?" Zayn runs a hand through his hair then goes for the glass of water when Liam catches his hand placing it between his own.

"You" Zayn takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

"We had this talk before, Liam"

"I know, but I can't! I'm not even focusing on my job! I'm not focusing on _anything_ at all! All I think about is _you_!"

"That's a first" Zayn replies calmly, "Now you know how I used to feel"

"I'm sorry! And I know that words aren't enough. But I swear, babe. I'll-"

"You'll what?" Zayn interrupts, "Make things better?" Liam opens his mouth to speak but Zayn shakes his head, "You miss me? When you didn't even _try_ to make time for me before? Liam I barely _saw_ you, and you were alright. Think of it like you're on a business trip … A longer one"

"I had someone to return to, but now-"

"Liam, stop" Zayn takes another deep breath, "I'm not coming back no matter what you say"

"What changed so much?"

"My love for you did" Zayn returns his gaze to Liam's.

"You still love me. You said it yourself"

"Not anymore. You did own my heart before, but as time went by, the part that you owned started to shrink until there is _no more_ left. My heart doesn't belong to you anymore"

Liam stares at him for a while then sighs, "So _he_ owns it now?"

"I love him"

"You told me that before" he mumbles.

"What's your point in all of this?" Zayn raises his voice slightly.

"What makes you so sure that you'll last?"

"He is not _you_. And even if we didn’t work out I'll _never_ return to you!" Zayn raises his voice more as he retreats his hands from Liam's grip.

"You think he won't accept the opportunity to own more? You think if he had a chance to be someone like _me_ he won't?" Zayn furrows his eyebrows together, "He will" Liam leans forward, "Because he _loves_ you. And he would use every chance he gets to make you live a better life. A life that he _can't_ be in all of the time"

"If you ever dare to come close to Harry, I swear to god-"

"I won't. I didn't" Liam says truthfully. "But I'm just telling you how life works" Zayn glares at him, "So is he good?" Zayn stares at him in disbelief.

"Are you honestly asking me about _that?_ How _low_ did you go?" Zayn stands up.

"I lost you. I must be digging deep"

Zayn turns to leave but stops in his tracks facing Liam once more, "He is good, he is _perfect_. And I love him. And I would appreciate that you stay the hell out of my and _his_ way, or next time you'll have _blood_ on your face. Goodbye, Liam"

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

Harry opens his apartment door to smell something _very nice_. He closes the door behind him quietly and takes off his shoes. He walks slowly to the kitchen to find Zayn standing there obviously cooking. Zayn cooking is a _bad thing_ , but the kitchen isn't burnt down so that's a good sign.

"Fuck!" Zayn swears, and Harry was about to ask him about this whole cooking thing but he hurries next to him and he notices blood on his hand. He quickly drags him to the bathroom, grabbing the first aid box.

"So you were cooking?" Harry starts smiling as he works on bandaging Zayn's hand.

"I asked your sister for a recipe" he mumbles. Harry looks up once he notices his tone is off.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Harry sighs.

"Zayn, look at me" Harry demands and Zayn finally meets his gaze, "Talk to me" he takes his hand in his own gently stroking it.

Zayn avoids his gaze once more and bites his lip, "I met Liam"

Harry takes a deep breath standing up making Zayn stand up as well, "Are you mad?" Zayn asks with worry.

"Of course I am" Zayn looks down so he gently tilts his head back up with a smile, "Zayn, I'm not mad because you talked to Liam. I'm mad because this talk _hurt_ you, and I don't want to ever see you hurt" he strokes his cheekbones softly and Zayn smiles slightly.

"Now come on, there is dinner waiting to be prepared"

Zayn gasps, "I'm sorry, It was meant to be ready before you got here, but I got distracted and-"

"Zayn" Harry cuts him off, "I'm not mad at you, love" he leads Zayn to one of the kitchen stools, "I'll take care of it, you just sit here-"

" _I_ was meant to be doing this for _you_!" Zayn protests.

"You cut your hand" Harry points out.

"So? It happens all the time" Zayn counters.

"Zayn. Sit" Harry points to the stool and Zayn huffs in annoyance but he knows arguing with Harry is pointless so he does.

He does help him sitting the plates down and putting the food in them, with Harry stealing kisses whenever he can. Zayn's smile never fading.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

"You made this?" Harry glances around the bedroom. There were candles lit, roses spread. And he wanted to be the one who does that for Zayn but apparently he beat him to it. He smiles widely nevertheless.

"Yes" Zayn says in a low tone looking down and blushing. "Do you like it?" he glances up at Harry who averts his gaze from the room to land back at him and then cups his face and leans in for a kiss.

"Love it" Zayn smiles walking them backwards to the bed. They land together with Harry on top of him kissing him deeply, then goes for his neck. "I heard rich people have interesting kinks" he says in a deep voice in Zayn's ear.

"Is that your way of telling me you have some?" Zayn smirks as Harry leans back to take off his shirt, and Zayn trails his gaze on the exposed skin. Harry leans back to kiss him, then pulls away.

"So do you?" Zayn hums tilting his head to the side.

"You have to figure out" Harry bites his lips then tugs at Zayn's shirt, "Off" Zayn sits up to take it off, linking his arms around Harry's neck to pull him in for another kiss. Harry pushes him back on the bed taking the rest of his clothes off and he stops to stare at Zayn's naked body. "Beautiful"

He leans in to kiss Zayn again, then at his neck, his chest. And he stops at his nipples sucking at them earning a soft moan from Zayn. And the little sounds Zayn makes is enough to drive him crazy. He trails further down over his belly button and his V line, then turns to his legs, kissing his feet then making his way up to his knees and thighs. He takes his time sucking at his inner thighs making Zayn release those little sounds again.

He pulls away slightly to look at Zayn who's looking back at him, "Like to be teased?" he smirks but Zayn doesn't answer so he goes for his other thigh, sucking at it as well. He trails soft kisses all over Zayn's cock until he reaches the tip and sucks at it, making Zayn throw his head back, his hands are clutching the sheets. He takes him deeper hollowing his cheeks then pulls back delivering a kiss to the tip. He sits back up, reaching for his drawer, picking up the lube and condom placing them on the bed.

He starts taking off the rest of his own clothes throwing them aside and Zayn's gaze fall to his cock and he bites hi lips hard, "Like what you see?" Harry leans in for another kiss and Zayn kisses back desperately, his hands reaching to Harry's hair. Harry opens the lube bottle and coats his fingers before pulling away from Zayn and getting between his legs again. He delivers a kiss to his entrance first then starts circling his hole, the tip of his finger is ever so lightly brushing over his entrance, but he knows Zayn likes to be teased by now so he takes his time, and Zayn doesn't protest.

Harry returns back up to suck at Zayn's neck while carefully sliding his finger inside, Zayn's breath hitch but soon relaxes with Harry's other hand stroking softly at his thigh. Harry can feel Zayn is _so tight_ , and he can't wait to feel his warm insides around him. "Been a while it seems"

"Shorter than you think" Zayn replies breathlessly and Harry stops. He slowly brings his head up to look at Zayn who frowns at him.

"Did you-"

"No" Zayn replies before Harry could think of the worst scenario. "Back then, I didn't want to cheat so I just … bought some stuff" he blushes turning his head away and Harry smiles widely inserting a second finger, "Harry! Not so suddenly!" Zayn turns to him and Harry's smile falls.

"Oh! Shit! Sorry!" he starts moving slowly again, and Zayn could feel his long fingers curling just the _right angle_ inside of him so he moans. Harry smirks and leans in to kiss at his sweet spot on his neck, "So you used toys?" Zayn covers his face with his hands.

"Don't" he mumbles and Harry chuckles inserting a third finger in and starts stretching him.

"I wonder what other stuff you used to do" Zayn's uncover his face to glare at Harry, "So what's your preference?"

"My preference?"

Harry nods, "Well, I don't know what you like, and I want this to be good for you. I want you to feel good"

Zayn stares at him for a while. "Harry, do whatever you normally do, and _stop_ talking for god's sake" Harry smiles and shakes his head as he reaches for the condom but Zayn swats it away, "I don't want to feel another plastic thing inside of me" Harry laughs grabbing the lube bottle instead.

He coats himself and teases Zayn's entrance with his tip. Zayn's hips push down and it's obvious that he isn’t up for more teasing so Harry slides in slowly until he's balls deep inside of him, and gosh it feels _good_. He allows Zayn to have some time to adjust then starts moving slowly. Zayn relaxes releasing those soft moans again and Harry slides his hands to Zayn's inner things again stroking the sensitive skin.

"You're so beautiful" Harry mumbles as he picks Zayn's legs over his shoulder and leans in to kiss Zayn who gasps at the change of angle making Harry thrust faster and much deeper. "Fuck, Zayn" he pants, and the feeling is amazing as Zayn's inside squeeze him more, alarming him that he's near the edge. "Can I come inside of you?"

"Fuck! Yes!" Zayn moans loudly as he comes, Harry thrusts harder a few more times then comes deep inside of Zayn. He flops on top of him still trying to catch his breath as Zayn runs his fingers through his hair. Harry doesn't mind staying like this, in Zayn's arms. "That was amazing. I'll admit you're better" Zayn whispers as he smiles.

"Good" Harry says as he sits, "How much time do you need before we go again?" He smirks and Zayn shakes his head.

"Fuck you"

Harry laughs, "I'm still inside of you, babe" But he pulls off anyway standing up to grab a towel to clean them both, then flops on bed next to Zayn hugging him closer between his arms.

"Harry?" Zayn starts and Harry hums, "If you like … got a chance to own a company … and become rich. Would you?"

Harry's reply doesn't take more than two seconds, "No"

Zayn frowns and turns to face him, "Why not?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Do you _not_ want to? You can do lots of stuff with money"

"Well, true. But I'm happy with what I have. And if doing so means losing _you_ , then I won't" he smiles down at him but Zayn doesn't smile back.

"Don't back down on your words" Harry knows where this is coming from. He knows that Liam has a hand of it, and he is sure that Zayn had already seen so much of it, but he _isn't_ Liam. And he doesn't care about having luxury cars or houses, _not anymore_. Not when he has Zayn in his arms. The one that he fell in love with, the one that isn't asking for anything but to have someone next to him. And Harry can give him that, he _does_ want to give Zayn the world, but Zayn doesn't want it, and he won't push Zayn out of his comfort zone.

"Would never" Zayn turns to his side once more and Harry still can't see him smiling, and it _hurts_ him. It hurts that Zayn isn't capable of trusting people after what he's been through, but he'll prove it. "I love you. And I'll never hurt you. Have I lied to you before?"

"Yes" Harry furrows his eyebrows together then it hits him.

"That doesn't count!"

"It does" Zayn states simply. Harry sighs turning Zayn so he could see his face.

"I swear I was going to find another way to reach you … Zayn, I was cornered!"

"But you did" Harry presses his lips together.

"Okay. Let's throw this behind. That was in the past, before we even get together" Harry tries again and Zayn buries his face in Harry's chest.

"I'm sorry" Zayn mumbles. He knows Harry isn't the type to do such things, he knows that Harry was the most supportive of him. And he curses Liam for putting those thoughts in his head in the first place, "I shouldn't have said those things … I was just-"

"Scared?" Harry smiles as Zayn picks his head up to look at him, "It's okay. We all get scared" Harry picks Zayn's bandaged hand and brings it to his mouth to put a lingering kiss on it. "But we'll face it together"

"I love you" Zayn says as he leans in to catch Harry's lips in his own and Harry smiles into the kiss. Zayn's worries fade away as he feels Harry's arms around him once more. They got this. They're together, and they'll make it.

"I love you" Zayn repeats.

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

 _Everywhere I'm looking now_  
_I'm surrounded by your embrace_  
_Baby, I can see your halo_  
_You know you're my saving grace_  
_You're everything I need and more_  
_It's written all over your face_  
_Baby, I can feel your halo_  
_Pray it won't fade away_

ɤɤɤɤɤɤɤ

**A/N**

**So that's a wrap! I didn't want to add more angst to this story, so it ends shortly.**

**Thanks so much for sticking with me so far! I love all of you <3**

**Now I can get back to continuing my other fics.**


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